F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Another Polio case reported from district Bajaur as the number of polio cases rise to six from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa .
National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) Islamabad notified a polio case from Bajaur District of Tribal Districts.
National institute of Health has isolated wild polio virus from stool sample of 30 months child of village Sheikhan, UC Tali, Tehsil Salarzai, Bajaur District. .
Stool Sample from child was collected on Dec 27, 2018 to check the presence of polio virus. Laboratory isolated wild polio virus from stools and confirmed it to be polio case: which was notified by NEOC Islamabad today. Total count of polio cases in Tribal Districts during 2018 reached 4 polio cases and sixth in the province of KP.
Family of the child recently moved from Baluchistan to Bajuar around a month before the date of onset (when child got paralyzed because of polio virus). Due to misconception held by the unfortunate family that vaccine causes sterility, parents of the child had been refusing and hiding their son from vaccination during anti-polio campaigns all along the duration they stayed at Baluchistan for the last 28 months.
The Family reached Bajour after the November campaign and since the child and family was on the move in Bajour the child was missed in the December campaign at Bajour as well.
Coordinator EOC Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Capt. Retd. Kamran Ahmed Afridi said “it is sad that misconception of a caregiver led to paralysis of another child who had every right to live a healthy and productive life. It is a reminder to everyone that no excuses can save your child from paralysis if the child is not repeatedly vaccinated; it is more cumbersome when this paralysis is life long and not reversible. ”.
He reminded the parents that though virus was isolated from three other cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tribal Districts earlier yet they didn’t develop paralysis as the children had received full doses of polio vaccines.
He assured parents that polio vaccines are the safest vaccines and appealed to ensure vaccination of their children every month when polio worker knocks their door. He said virus circulates from core reservoir areas and could strike any unimmunized child anywhere.
Coordination Unit Tribal Districts had conveyed an emergency meeting participated by all stakeholders and it was decided to launch urgent mop up campaign in response to polio case in UC Tali from Monday January 14, 2019.
