Pakistan reports its first case of polio in the Northwest.
Pakistan reports its first case of polio in fifteen months in North Waziristan, after celebrating the polio-free milestone for almost a year.
According to reports, a 15-month-old boy in North Waziristan was paralyzed by the wild poliovirus on April 22.
The virus was confirmed in the patient by Pakistan’s national polio laboratory.
Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, expressed grave worry about the situation in the country and asked the relevant authorities to create a full report on the causes.
The prime minister also directed that a strategy be developed for the speedy eradication of the poliovirus in the country.
Abdul Qadir Patel, the Federal Minister of Health, stated that all available resources will be used to eradicate the disease.
Dr. Shahzad Baig, the Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program (NEOC), took to Twitter to urge parents to enroll their children in anti-polio vaccinations.
“Our heroic health personnel are working tirelessly to ensure that the virus does not spread elsewhere, following the confirmation of this case in NW and a positive viral sample in Bannu,” he added.
