Islamabad [Pakistan], April 29 (ANI): Pakistan reported a second polio case as a two-year-old girl was found affected by the virus in North Waziristan, local media reported on Friday.
The detection of the case was also confirmed by the spokesperson of the health ministry. This is the second case as on April 22, the National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC) had confirmed the first case of Polio. The health ministry expressed concerns over the detection of more poliovirus cases in the country.
Moreover, Abdul Qadir Patel, Pakistan’s Health Minister said that effective steps are being taken on an emergency basis to eradicate polio, reported ARY News.
Appealing to the parents, Patel expressed that they should mandatorily administer anti-polio drops to their children during the immunisation drive.
Health officials in a series of Tweets announced the discovery of the polio case on April 22, saying a 15-month-old boy had been paralysed by the virus in the northwestern district of North Waziristan.
“Deeply saddened to share that a 15-month-old boy has been paralyzed in North Waziristan, Southern KP, as #Pakistan confirms a wild #poliovirus case after nearly 15 months,” Dr Shahzad Baig, a coordinator with the National Emergency Operations Centre for Pakistan’s polio eradication programme said in a Tweet.
“The Pakistan Polio Programme traces and hunts down the virus wherever it may be harbouring. This case is both tragic, while at the same time, not entirely unexpected, after positive virus samples appeared in the environment in South KP late last year,” he said further.
Pakistan is one of two countries, alongside neighbouring Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic, although case numbers have dropped drastically in recent years.
Pakistan remains under a polio-linked travel restriction imposed by the World Health Organisation. Residents (and visitors for more than 4 weeks) from infected areas should receive an additional dose of OPV or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) within 4 weeks to 12 months of travel. (ANI)