Two more cases of the crippling police disease were confirmed in North Waziristan on Friday, taking the tally for the current year to six. Health officials confirmed that an 18-month old baby girl and boy, resident of Mir Ali, tested positive for the virus.
The wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was confirmed in two children from the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province by the polio laboratory at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, the statement read. It is learnt that the said children were not administered anti-polio drops during the drive against the crippling disease.
After staying in a polio-free country for almost 15 months, Pakistan has reported four cases of polio in 2022 so far. All the cases have been reported in North Waziristan. A five-day anti-polio campaign is currently underway across Pakistan. The polio drive began on May 23.
During the campaign, approximately 43.3 million children under the age of five years will be administered the anti-polio vaccine, reported Radio Pakistan. A supplementary dose of Vitamin A drops will also be administered to children aged 6 to 59 months. Around 340,000 frontline workers will take part in the campaign to administer vaccines to the children at their doorsteps..—INP
