Another polio case reported in FBR Bannu, toll reaches 67
Countrywide toll reaches 67 as another case of polio virus has been confirmed in FR Bannu.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The total number of patients affected by polio-virus has reached across the country after a new case was reported in FBR Bannu on Friday.
According to Prime Minister’s Polio Cell, a seven-month-old girl Malalai has been diagnosed with polio virus.
After the emergence of new case, the total number of polio patients during current year has reached 67 including 53 in Federally Administrative Areas (FATA) nine in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and five in Sindh.
On the other hand, around 76,000 children under five were immunised against polio in Khyber Agency during the fourth phase of anti-polio drive, the official radio reported last Friday.
Under the protective cover of the army and Frontier Corps personnel, polio workers administered vaccine to children in the Malikdin Khel area of Tehsil Bara.
The rising number of polio cases triggered global emergency health measures this month, with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommending all residents must show proof of vaccination before they can leave the country.
Pakistan is in the spotlight as the only country with endemic polio that saw cases rise last year.
On May 13, the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging all the lawmaker to ensure implementation of polio immunization programme in their respective constituencies.
Polio passes easily from person to person and can spread rapidly among children, especially in the kind of unsanitary conditions endured by displaced people in war-torn regions, refugee camps and areas where health care is limited.
The virus invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours. The WHO has repeatedly warned that as long as any single child remains infected with polio, children everywhere are at risk.
There is no cure for the disease but it can be prevented by immunization. The polio vaccine, administered multiple times, can protect a child for life.
