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ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has reported 15th poliovirus case of this year after a 17-month-old boy from the North Waziristan contracted the disease.
According to an NIH official, all victims this year are aged under two years, and the only case outside North Waziristan was reported from Lakki Marwat last month.
According to an NIH statement, the country’s polio eradication program has continued immunization campaigns wherever possible despite adverse weather. The ongoing national anti-polio vaccination drive started on Aug 22 and health workers continue to reach children in all accessible areas, braving heavy rains and floods.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus and mainly affects children aged under five years. It enters the nervous system and causes paralysis and even death. Since there is no cure for the disease, vaccination is the most effective protection against it.
