Another polio case emerges in Balochistan

QUETTA: The polio emergency operation center Pakistan has reported one more polio case from Balochistan on Monday, taking the provincial tally figure for this year to 16. 

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), a 20-month-old boy was affected by the virus in Quetta. His samples were collected on 25th and 26th July.

The children infected with the crippling disease has never been administered the anti-polio vaccine, said sources. Last month, a police case was reported in Chaman, where a 17-month-old girl was confirmed with the virus.

In July, the federal government had decided to launch a three-day special anti-polio campaign from 20th July after the country so far recorded 58 cases of the disabling disease during the ongoing year.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus mostly affecting children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan and Nigeria, affected by poliovirus. The fresh polio cases have surfaced at a time when all the vaccination campaigns were suspended due to the COVID-19 threat.