Another polio case reported in Balochistan

BALOCHISTAN: 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 18. 

A 15-month-old girl tested positive for poliovirus in Balochistan’s Pishin district. In this regard, the officials said that the sudden increase in polio cases was on account of the polio campaign being suspended in Balochistan for five months due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme’s website, so far the number of polio cases has surged to 70 with 22 cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 in Sindh, 18 in Balochistan, and eight cases in Punjab.

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.

The global polio eradication drive, which began in 1988, is now close to eradicating the crippling disease from the world. Unfortunately, Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, affected by poliovirus. 

Moreover, The World Health Organization (WHO) had extended a temporary travel ban on Pakistan due to the increasing number of polio cases until 3rd October.