Pakistan reports 2023’s first polio case

Pakistan reports 2023’s first polio case!

The first polio case of this year in the country has been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the affected 3-year-old child belongs to Bannu district.

It is being investigated whether the parents of the 3-year-old infected child refused to administer polio or the child was administered polio drops.

Speaking to Dawn, Dr Shahzad Baig said that it was clear that the child was not fully protected which led to the virus attacking the child.

He said that this is the first polio case of this year after five months, the health department authorities have issued an alert in view of the movement in urban areas in tribal districts during Ramadan and Eid.

Officials are considering planning a vaccination campaign in tribal districts from April 10 as security officials are currently busy with the digital census.

The National Emergency Operations Center says that there are 7 districts in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Dera Ismail Khan, Lucky Marwat, Tank, Bannu, South Waziristan and North Waziristan where the virus is present, to start the vaccination campaign in these areas. Required.

It should be noted that these areas were also the centre of poliovirus in 2022, where last year 20 cases were reported from South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which 17 affected children belonged to North Waziristan, 2 from Lakki Marwat and one from South Waziristan.

The case emerges at a time when delegations from the French Agency for Development (FAD) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) visited the country to analyze polio eradication efforts.

According to the statement issued by the Ministry of Health, the delegations of the French Agency for Development and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also met with the Federal Minister of Health.

During the meeting, discussions were held regarding social security and health, especially the eradication of polio.