A one-year-old boy from North Waziristan has been left paralyzed by a wild poliovirus in a third similar case reported in Pakistan this year, it emerged on Sunday.
According to a report released by the Minister of Health, wild poliovirus 1 (WPV1) was confirmed to a boy from Miranshah on May 15 by the polio laboratory at the National Health Center, Islamabad. The onset of disability was observed in the child on May 14.
After living in a polio-free country for almost 15 months, Pakistan reported its first two cases of the virus on April 22 and April 30, respectively – both from Northern Waziristan. The victims, a 15-month-old boy and a two-year-old girl, were identified as Ali tehsil from North Waziristan.
On January 27, Pakistan saw a year without a polio outbreak. The only infection in 2021 was reported from Balochistan while all other integrated units and controls remained polio-free.
“Another child will remain physically disabled as a result of this preventable disease. As a country, we need to understand the human cost of chronic polio in Pakistan. Every case of polio is a major disaster,” lamented Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel.
He said that when there is no cure for the virus, the only way to protect children from the disease is to get vaccinated.
Since January, we have taken emergency measures in the six southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to save children from wild polio. [virus] and these measures have been expanded and strengthened, ”said Patel.
Districts, he continued, were identified with the polio program as the most vulnerable area and an emergency plan was launched that allowed the program to reach more children than ever before.
“I have monitored all efforts to eradicate polio and will go to all areas at high risk of polio to oversee activities on the ground,” the minister added.
Meanwhile, health secretary Aamir Ashraf Khawaja said the service was afraid of escalating the situation after the first one was reported. Unfortunately, there may be more until every child has access to the vaccine.
‘Fake’ fingerprint comment
In advance, It was morning a report that the outbreak of polio came as a result of ‘counterfeit’ fingerprinting. Vaccines mark the fingers of vaccinated children but skeptical families mark their children’s fingers without vaccination, “a senior health worker told Parhlo.
He said health workers recognize the need to mark counterfeit fingers to prevent retaliation from parents and their community.
North Waziristan District Health Officer Dr Gulistan Wazir said the vaccineers would take religious leaders and elders during a forthcoming immunization campaign to prevent fingerprint identification and ensure that targeted children receive drops.
“We have the support of the district administration and paramilitary forces to dig up the fake vaccine. In the future, this issue will be resolved,” he said.
North Waziristan Assistant DHO Dr Shamsur Rehman said visiting groups from Islamabad and Peshawar held meetings with jirga members and religious students and reassured them to throw their support behind polio-fighting efforts to end the vaccine resistance.
During this time, immunizations in the area have complained that 110,000 children were targeted for polio vaccination and less than 1,000 immunizations were reported.
