Another child contracts polio in Lakki as tally hits 45 in KP

PESHAWAR: Another child, five-month old girl, has fallen prey to polio in Lakki Marwat due to parental refusal leaving her to live with permanent disability as the total case count of the province has jumped to 45 this year. According to the details, one wild polio virus has been isolated from stool sample of the girl belonging to union council Bakhmal Ahmadzai in Serai Naurang tehsil in Lakki Marwat.

The clinical history of the child showed that she was zero dose for essential immunization and her status of polio vaccination was being investigated. The affected child had fever along with chest infection and was taken to a local faith-healer.

She was taken to the District Headquarters Hospital when she developed weakness on her right side. She was notified as AFP case and her stool sample was sent to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad for further investigation. In response to the reporting of new polio case in the province, Coordinator Emergency Operation Centre Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Kamran Ahmad Afridi said that virus was highly active in the southern districts of the province particularly in the Bannu division. He said that vaccinating every child was the only solution to defeat polio.

He clarified that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine can protect the child from permanent disability and stop the virus circulation. Kamran Afridi requested the parents not to heed the propaganda against polio vaccination and get their children vaccinated.