Total cases in province rise to seven
\nJaved Khan
\nPESHAWAR
\nThe Regional Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health Islamabad on Tuesday confirmed that poliovirus had been detected in a 29-month-old girl in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nAccording to an official handout, a 29-month-old girl from Ganderi, Union Council in Nowshera District has been confirmed to have contracted the virus.
\n\u201cStool samples from the infected girl were sent to the laboratory in Islamabad, where the polio virus was identified following detailed analysis,\u201d the statement said.
\nThis year, six polio cases had previously been reported in the province, including two from Kohat and one each from the districts of Mohmand, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, and Lakki Marwat.
\nWith the new case, the total number of polio cases reported in KP has risen to seven, contributing to a national total of 42 cases.
\nMohammad Zeeshan Khan, Deputy Coordinator of the Provincial Emergency Operations Center, expressed regret over the persistence of the virus despite ongoing efforts to combat polio, resulting in another child facing lifelong disability.
\nThe country recorded only six cases in 2023, after 20 in 2022 and just one in 2021.
\nHe emphasized that eradicating polio is a national emergency and that the government is committed to this goal.
\nKhan stated that the government\u2019s administrative machinery, law enforcement agencies, and health department are working collaboratively to eliminate the disease and protect children\u2019s futures.
\nHe reiterated that the only way to eliminate this deadly disease is through vaccination, urging parents to ensure their children under five receive polio drops during every anti-polio campaign.
\nHe also called on the public, especially parents, to actively participate in the ongoing anti-polio campaign and get their children vaccinated. Khan encouraged all segments of society, including scholars and medical professionals, to dispel misconceptions about polio vaccination and advocate for children receiving their shots during each campaign.
\nThe provincial government has launched an ambitious drive to curb the menace of poliovirus from the province.
\nOn Tuesday, two cops guarding the polio vaccination team were killed by unknown assailants in tribal district Orakzai, a major challenge for the provincial government to tackle the crippling disease.
\nIt may be pertinent to mention here that Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Total cases in province rise to seven Javed Khan PESHAWAR The Regional Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health Islamabad on Tuesday confirmed that poliovirus had been detected in a 29-month-old girl in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to an official handout, a 29-month-old girl from Ganderi, Union Council in Nowshera District has been confirmed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-440492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-peshawar"],"yoast_head":"\n