NEOC notifies 2 polio cases

PESHAWAR: The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) Islamabad notified two polio cases of 2018 from Bajaur district of tribal districts.

National Institute of Health has isolated wild polio virus from stool sample of 36 months boy Abdurehman and 78 months girl Nabila: both of them are residents of village Jaba Manzai, UC Tali, Tehsil Salarzai of Bajaur district, said a press release.

Onset date –when child got paralyzed because of polio virus— were December 29, 2018 and December 31, 2018, whereas, stool sample were collected to check the presence of polio virus on Jan 8, 2019 and Jan 7, 2019 from Abdurehman and Nabila respectively. Laboratory isolated wild polio virus from stools and confirmed both to be the polio cases: which were notified by NEOC Islamabad today on January 19, 2019, said the press release. Both the children received more than seven doses of oral polio vaccine and zero doses of essential/routine vaccination. Both the children shows slight weakness in one of the limbs or slight paralysis.

Coordinator EOC Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Captain (R) Kamran Ahmed Afridi said “Every confirmed polio case from Bajaur is proof in itself that gap exists and there is need for improving the quality of campaign. He said task teams / syndicates have already been notified who should identify gaps and propose the strategy to recover.”

He advised provincial team to ensure access to and vaccination of each and every child especially in Bajaur during upcoming anti polio campaign. He said any delinquency on the part of any officer will be dealt with strictly. In Tribal Districts three days campaign will be launched from Monday January 21st, 2019 to January 23rd, 2019, followed by catch up of missed children and surveillance, under the supervision and security provided by Deputy Commissioners, District Health Officers and Security Forces.