Pakistan: 2019 Polio - 141 cases to date

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Source: https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/517838-Two-more-polio-cases-reported-KP
Two more polio cases reported in KP
Last Updated On 08 November,2019 06:22 pm
The total number of polio cases has risen to 82 throughout the country.

PESHAWAR (Dunya News) - Two more polio cases have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after which the number of polio cases in the province has increased to 61.

According to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), two children from Sarai Norang Tehsil in Lakki Marwat district were diagnosed with the poliovirus.

In a comment on reporting of new polio cases, Coordinator EOC KP Abdul Basit said that it was a matter of grave concern and indeed a sad day that two more children are left disabled by polio virus, says a press release here on Friday...

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Source: http://investrecords.com/2019/11/08...-denounce-the-guardian-for-incorrect-article/



‘Absolutely no cover-up’: Govt officials denounce The Guardian for ‘incorrect’ article
November 8, 2019 admin

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza and the prime minister’s former focal person on polio on Friday denounced a report published by British daily The Guardian, in which the publication had accused Pakistani officials of “covering up” a polio outbreak.

The report in question, published in The Guardian on November 7, accused Pakistani officials of “covering up an outbreak of the most dangerous strain of polio and planning a covert vaccination programme to contain the disease”.

According to The Guardian, an outbreak of the P2 strain of the virus was allegedly kept hidden from the government as well as international health bodies and donors “on the orders of Babar bin Atta”, who was the prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication until he resigned last month.

“[In order to] hide their negligence and their poor performance, Babar Bin Atta decided not disclose the cases to anyone,” The Guardian quoted an unnamed source as saying. The report further said that the virus was believed to have reemerged because the vaccine to prevent its spread was misused.

“Somewhere, somebody has inaccurately used this vaccine and because of this negligence […] this virus was brought back into the environment and our children are again getting infected with P2,” the report quoted the source as saying.

Pakistani officials rushed to correct the record today. “[There has been] absolutely no cover up,” Dr Mirza responded to the story in a tweet earlier today.

Talking to Dawn earlier, Dr Mirza had said that seven new cases of the vaccine-derived poliovirus Type 2 had been detected in the country...

 

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Source: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/11/15/six-more-polio-cases-reported-in-kp-sindh/

Six more polio cases reported in KP, Sindh
by News Desk , (Last Updated 2 hours ago)

Six new cases of polio have been reported in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, taking the tally to 95 across Pakistan.

Of the total number of cases reported so far, nine are of vaccine-derived virus type 2 or VDPV2.

Two of the six new cases are of polio contracted from a mutated version of the virus in the environment. They were reported from Charsadda and Torghar.

Three of the remaining cases are from Lakki Marwat, while one is from Karachi...

 

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Source: https://www.who.int/csr/don/28-november-2019-polio-pakistan/en/
[h=1]Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 – Pakistan[/h] Disease outbreak news
28 November 2019

Through national disease surveillance, an outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type-2 (cVDPV2) has been confirmed in Pakistan in 2019. Between 7 July and 3 November 2019, 11 children have been paralysed from cVDPV2 in Pakistan – four in Diamir district, Gilgit-Baltistan province, three in Kohistan, two in Torghar and one in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, and one in Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad. The median age for these cases was 22 months ranging from 8 to 66 months .
The virus was also isolated in stool samples from two contacts of one patient from Diamir, one contact of one patient from Torghar, as well as from 16 healthy children from Diamir, Kohistan and Rawalpindi districts. In addition, the virus was also isolated in seven environmental samples collected between 21 August and 25 October 2019 in Rawalpindi and Lahore districts, Punjab province; Diamir and Gilgit districts, Gilgit-Baltistan province; and Site Town, district West, Karachi, Sindh province.
The genetic sequencing confirmed that the VDPV2 isolated in the environmental samples collected at the Safdarabad site in Rawalpindi district in August was linked to a virus isolated in Diamir environmental samples collected in August and September. This is the indication of a circulating VDPV2 outbreak.
All VDPV2 strains were isolated in the WHO Regional Reference Laboratory for Polioviruses (RRL), National Institute of Health in Pakistan and had a full viral genomic sequencing in the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The VDPV2 isolates from acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases, contacts, and environmental samples have undergone 6 to 13 nucleotide changes reflecting a recent emergence of cVDPV2.
Pakistan is classified as endemic for wild poliovirus, and as of 13 November, there have been 86 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) reported in the country in 2019 compared to 12 cases in 2018.
The last VDPV2 case in Pakistan was reported from Quetta city, Balochistan province in December 2016 and was classified as a cVDPV2. Response campaigns were conducted with monovalent oral poliovirus type 2 (mOPV2) where 2.96 million doses were administered. The last response campaign was in March 2017 and this was the last time mOPV2 was used in Pakistan. In the country, inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) was introduced in September 2015 and its reported coverage was suboptimal ranging from 20% in 2015 to 75% in 2018.
[h=3]Figure 1. Map showing areas affected[/h]

Enlarge image
[h=3]Public health response[/h] The outbreak response and detailed field investigations are ongoing to understand both the source of the virus and the extent of transmission. Active surveillance for AFP is being strengthened and environmental surveillance is being intensified and expanded; subnational population immunity levels are being assessed. These investigations have drawn on the experience and capacity of the international poliovirus laboratory network and global experts.
While investigations continue, an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) campaign was conducted in September 2019 targeting more than 180,000 children between the age of 4-59 months to rapidly increase population immunity . The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has supported the Ministry of Health (MoH) to implement a vaccination campaign with mOPV2 that commenced on 13 November 2019 in 11 districts of northern Pakistan (Haripur, Abbotabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Shangla, Torghar, Kohistan, Charsadda, Mohmand, Diamir, Gilgit), as well as in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad targeting 2.7 million children under-5 years of age. In affected areas and identified high-risk areas, it is critical to respond robustly and rapidly to outbreaks.
[h=3]WHO risk assessment[/h] WHO’s assessment is that the risk of spread of cVDPV2 within the country as high due to the high population movement, strong connectivity across the country, and low population immunity against type 2 poliovirus. The detection of this cVDPV2 strain underscores the importance of maintaining high levels of routine polio vaccination coverage at all levels to minimize the risk and consequences of any poliovirus circulation. WHO stands ready to support the ongoing investigation and risk assessment by national health authorities.
[h=3]WHO advice[/h] It is important that all countries, in particular, those with frequent travel and contacts within polio-affected countries and areas, strengthen surveillance for AFP cases in order to rapidly detect any new virus importation and to facilitate a rapid response. Countries, territories and areas should also maintain uniformly high routine immunization coverage at the district level to minimize the consequences of any new virus introduction.
WHO’s International Travel and Health recommends that all travellers to polio-affected areas be fully vaccinated against polio. Residents (and visitors for more than 4 weeks) from infected areas should receive an additional dose of OPV or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) within 4 weeks to 12 months of travel.
As per the advice of an Emergency Committee convened under the International Health Regulations (2005), efforts to limit the international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Countries affected by poliovirus transmission is subject to Temporary Recommendations. To comply with the Temporary Recommendations issued under the PHEIC, any country infected by poliovirus should declare the outbreak as a national public health emergency and consider vaccination of all international travellers.
[h=3]For more information:[/h]

• Global Polio Eradication Initiative
• Polio Factsheet
• WHO/UNICEF estimates of national routine immunization
• GPEI Public health emergency status
• International travel and health
• Vaccine-derived polioviruses
• Global Polio Eradication Initiative Polio free countries
• Global Polio Eradication Initiative – Pakistan
• Pakistan Polio eradication programme
• Standard operating procedures - responding to a poliovirus event or outbreak

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• About poliomyelitis
• Fact sheet on poliomyelitis
• More poliomyelitis outbreak news

 

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Source: https://www.samaa.tv/living/health/2019/12/sindh-reports-its-14th-polio-case-this-year/

Sindh reports its 14th polio case this year
Samaa Digital
5 hours ago

The number of polio cases reported in Sindh this year has gone up to 14 as the Emergency Operation Centre for Polio has confirmed a new case.

A nine-month-old boy, identified as Hasnain from Larkana, has contracted polio. According to EOC officials, the polio case surfaced in Larkana’s UC Karani on November 9...

 

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Source: https://www.siasat.com/polio-cases-pakistan-rise-94-year-1752198/


Polio cases in Pakistan rise to 94 this year
Posted by Neha Published: December 05, 2019, 4:42 pm IST

Islamabad: The total number of polio virus cases detected in Pakistan has increased to 94, with three new ones reported from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a health official said on Thursday.

An official of Polio Virology Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH) told Dawn news that the new cases were reported from Larkana in Sindh’ and from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat districts.

According to the official, two of the three affected children had been given polio vaccine.

So far, 68 cases have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 14 from Sindh, seven from Balochistan and five from Punjab...

 

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Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1520984/e...n-months-in-larkana-sends-alarm-bells-ringing
Emergence of two polio cases within seven months in Larkana sends alarm bells ringing
M.B. KalhoroUpdated December 08, 2019

LARKANA: Two polio cases have resurfaced within seven months in Larkana, which had remained a polio-free district for eight years, according to district health officer Syed Amjad Shah.

The officer told Dawn that the latest case reported from riverine Soonharo Gadhi village in Karani union council on Nov 9 was that of Hasnain Gadhi, nine months, who was suspected of having acute flaccid paralysis (AFC) and his stool sample was sent to the National Institute of Health for confirmation of the disease.

The NIH confirmed the case as polio positive despite the fact that the boy had been administered three doses of anti-polio vaccine during routine immunisation campaign and four more doses during special immunisation campaign, said the DHO.

Asked if the NIH indicated in its report about the original place from where the virus had travelled there, he replied in negative saying the boy’s family said they had never migrated from this area, permanently or temporarily, nor travelled to other districts...

 

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Source: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/777621-female-polio-worker-killed-in-pak
Female polio worker killed in Pak
PTI | Peshawar | Updated: 10-12-2019 12:54 IST | Created: 10-12-2019 12:54 IST

A female polio worker was killed and the driver of the tri-wheeler she was travelling in injured after unknown assailants fired at the vehicle in northwest Pakistan.

Bistaj Bibi was killed, while the driver of the vehicle Abdur Rauf was injured in the incident that took pace in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday...

 

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Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1521526/who-foresees-rise-in-polio-cases-in-2020

WHO foresees rise in polio cases in 2020
Asif Chaudhry Updated December 11, 2019

LAHORE: With a record 25 new positive environmental samples reported across the country, the World Health Organisation (WHO) foresees Pakistan as a polio-endemic state in 2020 as well.

With disturbing reports continuing to emerge regarding poliovirus getting out of control in Pakistan, the WHO has suggested the authorities show high-level commitment to make the world polio free.

For the first time, Pakistan has reported more than two dozen positive Wild Poliovirus 1 (WPV1) environment samples across the country. According to the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), out of the 25 samples, 12 were reported from Punjab, 11 from Sindh and two from Balochistan.

The samples were collected between Nov 1 and 18 from all the provinces for analysis and the reports were released this week.

Meanwhile, the WHO report states that increased instances of polio cases in Pakistan in 2019 as compared to 2017 and 2018 highlights the continued geographic spread of the virus...

 

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Source: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/12/12/polio-on-the-rise-as-four-more-cases-reported-in-kp/

Four more polio cases reported in KP
by Staff Report , (Last Updated 5 hours ago)

PESHAWAR: The tally of polio cases this year in the country has reached 98, excluding 12 vaccine-derived cases, after four polio cases were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Lakki Marwat and Tank districts on Thursday.

In Lakki Marwat, poliovirus was detected in a three-month-old boy and an 11-month-old girl in tehsil Sarai Naurang. The third case in the district was reported in union council Dara Tang involving an 11-month-old girl. According to the polio emergency operation centre, the cases were a result of the children not being administered polio drops.

Meanwhile, in Tank, polio was confirmed in a 12-month-old girl.

According to an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for Polio: “Lakki Marwat and Bannu have become high-risk districts for polio cases in 2019. Out of the 98 polio cases reported in the country this year, 72 were reported in KP, 14 in Sindh, seven in Balochistan and five in Punjab. In addition, 12 VDPV2 polio cases were also reported across districts in Pakistan...

 

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Source: https://www.samaa.tv/living/health/2019/12/two-more-polio-cases-reported-in-sindh-tally-hits-101/

Two more polio cases reported in Sindh, tally hits 101
Samaa Digital
4 mins ago

Two new polio cases have been reported in Sindh, bringing the country’s tally to 101.

If cases of vaccine-derived polio are also included, the number has reached 113.

The new cases were reported from district Mipurkhas, confirmed the Emergency Operation Centre for Polio, Sindh on Saturday.

The first case was a 36-month-old boy from Digri tehsil who contracted polio on November 17. The child had seven doses of polio vaccine during campaigns according to his parents, while health officials can confirm two routine immunisation doses.

The child is not going to suffer from disability, said the officials, as his legs and spine are not affected and he has slight weakness in the facial muscles.

The second case is a six-year-old boy who contracted the polio virus on November 20. According to his parents he had received seven doses during anti-polio campaigns and three during routine immunisation. However, health officials say they are still investigating how many doses he actually received...

 

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Source: https://nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2019/another-polio-case-emerges-in-punjab



Another polio case emerges in Punjab
December 16, 2019

LAHORE - Another polio case has been reported in Punjab on Sunday, taking the tally of such cases across the country to 104 this year. According to the Health Ministry, the polio case was reported from the Muzaffargarh city of Punjab. The authorities said that a seven-month-old baby boy in Muzaffargarh was diagnosed with the crippling disease, adding that the minor was not vaccinated against the virus...

 

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Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019...accination-team-pakistan-191218073119184.html

Two killed in attack targeting polio vaccination team in Pakistan
Officers killed while on their way to accompany a polio vaccination team in northwest Lower Dir district.
by Asad Hashim
4 hours ago

At least two policemen have been killed in an attack targeting a polio vaccination drive in northwest Pakistan, officials say, the latest in a series of attacks targeting eradication efforts in one of only three countries in the world where the disease remains endemic.

The two officers were killed while on their way to accompany a polio vaccination team in the Lower Dir district, about 180 kilometres (112 miles) northwest of the capital Islamabad, early on Wednesday, local police official Faridullah told Al Jazeera by telephone...

 

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Source: https://arynews.tv/en/two-more-polio-cases-surface-in-balochistan/

Two more polio cases surface in Balochistan
Web Desk On Dec 19, 2019

QUETTA: Two more polio cases have been reported in Balochistan on Wednesday, taking the tally of such cases across the country to 106 this year, ARY News reported.

According to the Health Ministry, the polio cases were reported from the Mastung district and Dera Murad Jamali area of Balochistan.

The authorities said a 16-month-old boy from Dera Murad Jamali and a 14-year-month old baby boy from Mastung were diagnosed with the crippling disease, adding that the minor was not vaccinated against the virus.

This is the ninth polio case which has been reported from Balochistan province during the ongoing year.

The officials said that out of the total, 76 polio cases were reported in KP, 14 in Sindh, nine from Balochistan and six in Punjab...

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Source: https://dailytimes.com.pk/522941/11-member-polio-team-mugged-and-tortured-near-shikarpur/

11-member polio team mugged and tortured near Shikarpur
Our Correspondent
December 19, 2019

A polio team was detained by three armed motorcyclists next to Yaqoob diversion at Zarkhail Link Road, and deprived of mobile phones, cash and other valuables.

The eleven team members were on their way to Jangi Khan Brohi village from Shikarpur in a van to administer polio drops to the children when armed men stopped, tortured and deprived them of 11 mobile phones, CNICs, jackets, cash and other valuables at gunpoint.

Lady health worker Gulshan Bhatti passed out following the attack. After the attack, polio teams held a protest demonstration and announce to boycott polio duty, in the vicinity of New Faujdari Police Station...

 

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Source: https://menafn.com/1099447796/Pakistan-Polio-team-remains-safe-as-bomber-explodes-himself-in-Lakki

Pakistan- Polio team remains safe as bomber explodes himself in Lakki
Date
12/19/2019 6:36:15 AM

(MENAFN - Tribal News Network) LAKKI MARWAT: A suicide bomber aiming to target a polio vaccination team exploded himself in Serai Naurang area of Lakki Marwat on Thursday, but the vaccination team remained safe.

Police said the bomber wanted to target a polio vaccination team which was present in the area at that time. However, the bomber missed the target and exploded prematurely by mistake...

 

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Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1523198/7-new-polio-cases-take-national-total-to-111-this-year

7 new polio cases take national total to 111 this year
Mohammad Hussain Khan | SirajuddinDecember 19, 2019

Seven new cases of polio have been reported from across the country, taking the overall tally of polio cases in the country this year to 111.

Of the seven cases that were reported on Wednesday, four emerged from KP — three from Laki Marwat district and one from Tank. The remaining three cases include one from Badin district in Sindh, one from Nasirabad and one from Mastung in Balochistan.

Of the 111 cases to have been reported this year, 79 are from KP, 17 from Sindh, nine from Balochistan, and six from Punjab.
The total number of cases in Pakistan this year. — EOC

Sindh has second-highest number of cases...

 

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Source: https://www.newsweekpakistan.com/over-1mn-in-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-refused-polio-vaccinations-report/


Over 1mn in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Refused Polio Vaccinations: Report
Dec 23 2019 By Newsweek Pakistan

Data from provincial health department comes amid massive jump in polio cases between 2018 and 2019

Pakistan has experienced a devastating rise in the number of reported polio cases over the past year, a setback that can at least partially be attributed to over a million parents in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province refusing to allow their children to be vaccinated against the deadly virus.

A report published in daily Express Tribune cites data from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Department as showing that, in 2019, 1,089,087 parents refused to allow health workers to administer the polio vaccine to their children. The highest number of refusals—694,984—occurred in April.

The April boost is likely attributed to an outbreak of hysteria over the vaccine after rumors spread of children being poisoned by the vaccine, resulting in vomiting and loss of consciousness. The since-debunked rumors led to thousands rushing to hospitals to get their vaccinated children examined, while those who had yet to receive vaccinations rejected them en masse. Authorities said dozens polio workers were beaten, stoned, and harassed following the spread of the fake news, with rioters even burning one health clinic to the ground...

 

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Source: https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/12/four-new-polio-cases-reported-tally-reaches-115/

Four new polio cases reported, tally reaches 115
SAMAA | Dr Taneer Ahmed - Posted: Dec 27, 2019 | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Four new polio cases were detected in Pakistan Friday. Two of these were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two from Sindh.

With the new cases, the tally for this year has risen to 115, said the National Emergency Operations Centre for polio. If the vaccine-derived polio cases are also taken into account, the total comes to 127.

The first case was a 15-month-old boy from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district. He had received no routine dose of the polio vaccine and seven doses of supplemental immunisation, according to his parents.

The second case was a 17-month-old girl from KP’s Bannu district. Her parents said she received three routine doses of the polio vaccine and no supplementary dose.

In Sindh, the polio virus was found in a seven-year-old girl from Sukkur and a 22-months-male from Tando Allah Yar, confirmed the EOC Sindh. The girl had received one routine dose and seven supplementary doses.

The affected boy has passed away due to severe prior illnesses which had lasted two weeks before the polio diagnosis, said the officials...

 

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Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1524813/four-more-polio-cases-detected-in-sindh-kp

Four more polio cases detected in Sindh, KP
Ikram JunaidiUpdated December 28, 2019

ISLAMABAD: Four more polio cases have been reported — two each from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — taking the tally for the current year to 119.

According to a notification issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, the cases in Sindh have been reported from Sukkur and Tando Allahyar districts, and in KP from Tank and Bannu districts.

An official of the NIH, requesting anonymity, said that a 22-month-old child in Tando Allahyar, Chamber tehsil, Began Jarwar Union Council, was brought to a health facility with symptoms of polio and so his samples were collected. However, the child died before confirmation that he was infected with polio.

“The other case from Sindh is of an 84-month-old girl, who is a resident of Sukkur district, New Sukkur tehsil, UC Rahooja. In KP, a 15-month-old boy has been infected with polio, who is a resident of Tank tehsil. Another child from the same province is a 17-month-old girl, who is resident of Bannu tehsil, UC Sikander Khel Bala,” he said.

Coordinator for the National Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for Polio Dr Rana Safdar, while talking to Dawn, said that poliovirus had been rampant throughout 2019 due to a number of factors...

 

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Source: https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/5-new-polio-cases-reported-from-kp-provincia-800725.html

5 New Polio Cases Reported From KP, Provincial Count Mounts To 88: Emergency Operation Centre (EOC)
Umer Jamshaid 56 minutes ago Thu 02nd January 2020 | 05:00 PM

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Jan, 2020 ) :The National Institute of Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Thursday has notified five new cases of Wild Polio Virus (WPV) from Tank, D.I. Khan, Bannu districts,taking the total count to 88 in the province and 123 in the country.

Coordinator Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) KP Abdul Basit said in a press statement that the wild polio virus has been isolated from stool sample of 26 months old male child from Tehsil Bannu, District Bannu, 30 months old female child and five months old male child from Tank, 24 months old female child from Parova Tehsil of district D.I.Khan and six months old child from Baizai tehsil of Mohmand district.

The epidmological study of the children shows that all children were zero dose for essential immunization while their SIAs history is under investigation...

 

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Source: https://www.samaa.tv/living/health/2020/01/2019-polio-tally-reaches-128-in-pakistan/


2019 polio tally reaches 128 in Pakistan
SAMAA | Dr Taneer Ahmed - Posted: Jan 4, 2020 | Last Updated: 4 mins ago

Five new polio cases have been reported from across the country, bringing the tally to 128. Two of the cases were from Sindh, two from Balochistan and one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The cases in Sindh were from districts Mirpurkhas and Qamber Shahdadkot. The provincial Emergency Operations Centre clarified that these are cases from December last year and not from 2020.

In Mirpurkhas, the victim was a two-year-old girl from Sindhri. According to her parents, she had received seven doses of the polio vaccine during campaigns but no routine immunisation was done. The second victim was a two-year-old girl from Warah, Qamber Shahdadkot. Her parents said she had received the polio vaccine on seven occasions.

In Balochistan the affected were from districts Jaffarabad and Qila Abdullah. The first case was a 16-month-old boy who had received seven doses of the polio vaccine during campaigns and two during routine immunisation. The second case was a five-year-old boy who had received seven doses during polio campaigns and no routine immunisation.

The case from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was from district Lakki Marwat, which has recorded 30 cases so far—the highest number in a single district. The victim was an 18-month-old boy whose parents recalled had received seven doses during campaigns and two during routine immunisation.

It is worth noting that all the new cases are from families on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. Officials have also confirmed that the polio virus was detected in 50% of the sewerage samples collected from across Pakistan...