Fresh polio cases registered in Kandahar

Monitoring Desk

KANDAHAR: Another fresh polio case was registered in Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province on Monday, taking the number of the newly reported patients to five.

The polio virus was found in the blood of a 30-month girl in Shah Wali Kot district, Kandahar cultural directorate media office in-charge Abdul Rehman Qismat told Afghan Islamic Press. The affected girl had been given anti-polio vaccines three times. The incident was currently under investigation, he added.

Efforts would be continued to eradicate polio from the country, he said, adding that priority would be given to Kandahar province in this regard.

It is pertinent to mention here that a child needs anti-polio vaccination nine times to get safe from the disease.

The ban imposed by some local Taliban commanders on the anti-polio campaigns in Shah Wali Kot district was the main reason of the rising cases, officials in Kandahar said. The high-ranking Taliban officials did not oppose anti-polio drives, they said. However, some local Taliban commanders impede such campaigns to fulfill their demands.

It is pertinent to mention here that most of the polio cases were reported in Kandahar province in 2017.