New polio case in Lakki Marwat takes count to 92 in KP

PESHAWAR: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has notified a new wild polio virus (WPV) case from Lakki Marwat district that has taken case count to 92 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Lakki Marwat with 32 polio cases is on top in KP in terms of polio cases. Health department officials said the wild polio virus has been isolated from stool sample of 25-month old male child belonging to Tajazai Union Council in Lakki Marwat.

The epidemiological study of the child showed that the family had allegedly refused essential immunisation to the child and he didn’t receive any dose of the essential immunisation while their SIAs history was under investigation.

Lakki Marwat is followed by Bannu district with 26 cases. Last year proved terrible for the government and national and international organisations engaged in their fight against polio virus in the country.

Commenting on the reporting of new polio case from Lakki Marwat, Coordinator of Emergency Operation Centre Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Abdul Basit lamented that another child was crippled by polio due to misconception of the family.

He said that polio has turned into an epidemic in southern districts particularly the Bannu Division as 66 children were left with permanent disabilities there. “It should serve as eye opener for the people of Lakki Marwat and Bannu who are resisting to polio vaccination and are therefore responsible for the lifelong disability of their children,” he added.

He said that polio vaccine was completely safe and Halal and the entire world, including the Muslim countries, have eradicated polio by using the same vaccine.

Abdul Basit said that polio could be eradicated through repeated vaccination and multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) were required to stop virus circulation in environment.