Karachi: WHO confirms ninth polio case in Sindh
The new polio case was confirmed in a 12-month-old infant residing in Manghopir area of Karachi.
KARACHI (Dunya News) – Another polio case was confirmed in a 12-month-old infant in Karachi, bringing the total number of affectees to nine in the Sindh province.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recorded this year’s eighth polio case in Karachi in one-year-old toddler residing in one of the areas labelled as the most sensitive as far as the virus is concerned.
There are reports that the polio campaign has been run in this area several times but the residents didn't allow the health workers to administer polio drops to their children.
Earlier, the Sindh government launched intensive anti-polio campaign in Karachi to prevent further spread of polio in the province. The Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah directed the concerned authorities to establish district polio control rooms. He also ordered to administer polio drops to every child of internally displaced persons (IDPs) of North Waziristan at entry points of Sindh border.
In May, the WHO had imposed travel restrictions on Pakistan over its failure to control the spread of polio virus. Polio vaccination certificates have now become mandatory for travellers from Pakistan to foreign countries.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects young children. It can lead to paralysis and death. The virus is easily preventable through immunization, but there s no cure once it is contracted.
Pakistan is one of only three countries, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where polio remains endemic, and efforts to eradicate it have been badly hit by rumours about the vaccine.
