September 8, 2024
1 min read

Polio resurfaces in Islamabad after 16-year gap

The affected individual, an eight-year-old boy, marks the first polio case in the city since 2008….reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan has reported its first polio case in Islamabad in 16 years, bringing the total number of cases reported this year to 17, according to health officials. This resurgence comes as the country grapples with ongoing efforts to eradicate the disease, despite continued detection of wild poliovirus (WPV1) in environmental samples.

Aside from the confirmed wild poliovirus (WPV1) cases reported across all four provinces, the virus has also been identified in environmental samples from 64 districts, signalling its presence in those regions.

The new case has been detected in Islamabad’s Union Council Rural 4, near the Sangjani Toll Plaza, as confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio at the National Institute of Health.

The affected individual, an eight-year-old boy, marks the first polio case in the city since 2008.

As reported by the Pakistan’s English-language newspaper Dawn, a senior lab official stated that environmental samples from the federal capital and Rawalpindi district have been testing positive for WPV1 since June, highlighting the “persistent threat of polio to children’s well-being.”

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s focal person for polio eradication, described the case as “incredibly heartbreaking.”

She mentioned that, in response to the virus outbreak, the polio programme has conducted “in-depth consultative sessions with the provinces and districts” to enhance its eradication efforts.

Muhammad Anwarul Haq, the coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, stated that the government is “ramping up efforts” to ensure every child receives polio vaccines, including those in Islamabad.

The government has scheduled a new large-scale vaccination campaign across 115 districts from September 9 to 13.

Farooq stated that teams will conduct house-to-house visits in 115 districts to administer vaccines to over 33 million children under five.

The campaign will also include all 36 districts of Balochistan, which has seen 12 polio cases since February.

ALSO READ: Pakistani Man Charged In New York Terror Plot Targeting Jews

Previous Story

‘Ukraine conflict eventually to be decided at negotiation table’

Next Story

Over 30,000 Afghan refugees return home in one week

Latest from -Top News

Indian-American Takes Office as Head of NIH

Born in Kolkata, India, Dr. Bhattacharya earned both his BA and MA degrees in economics from Stanford University, followed by a doctorate in medicine and a PhD in economics from the same

Trump-Putin bhai, bhai

The closer Trump and Putin get Britain, France and other Western countries which, since the end of the Second World War, have seen America as an ally, will have to rethink their

Mali embraces solar power for rural areas  

The border village of Karan and its 3,000 people used to go days without electricity. Now, enough power is available around the clock to run small video gaming centers and boost commercial
Go toTop

Don't Miss

PTI Leaders May Be Declared Offenders

The ATC has directed the prosecution to publish a proclamation

BLA group claims responsibility for deadly twin blasts in Quetta

Unidentified attackers lobbed a hand grenade at a stall selling