Two more polio cases in Lakki, Torghar

PESHAWAR: Two more polio cases were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, raising the total number of polio cases to 48 in the province.

The National Institute of Health Islamabad (NIH) confirmed poliovirus in 30 months old female child from Sarai Nourang Tehsil of Lakki Marwat and 23 months-old male child from Tehsil Jadba of Torghar district as the total case count mounted to 48 in the province. One wild polio virus has been isolated from a stool sample of 30 months old girl from Mamakhel Union Council, Sarai Naurang tehsil, in Lakki Marwat district while another wild poliovirus has been isolated from 23 months-old-boy in Shattal union council of Torghar district.

The clinical history of both polio cases shows that both new polio victims were zero dose for essential immunisation and their status of SIAs is under investigation. In response to the reporting of new polio cases in the province, EOC Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Coordinator Abdul Basit said that virus is circulating in the environment particularly in Bannu Division and Hazara division that can hit any unvaccinated or immune-compromised child.

He said that the only viable solution to the problem was to vaccinate the child in every campaign as only repeated doses can protect the child from permanent disability and stop virus circulation in the environment.

The EOC coordinator appealed to the parents not to pay attention to propagandas and rumours adding that polio vaccine was completely safe and do not cause any harm upon administration. It is relevant to mention here that the national polio case count stands at 64 out of which 48 are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2019 so far.