Islamabad, Nov 19 (IANS) Pakistan’s massive and unending struggle to root out polio continues as the total number of active polio cases in the country reached 50 on Tuesday following fresh cases reported from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces.
So far, at least 24 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 11 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
On Tuesday, Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) was detected in a girl child, making her the second polio virus case from the Tank district of KP.
The two troubled regions have seen rejection of polio vaccination campaigns and even casualties for health workers in the past.
With no end in sign to targeted attacks, it has become almost impossible for polio vaccination campaigns to run smoothly, thus increasing chances of children getting infected.
While WHO maintains that an encouraging decline has been witnessed in polio cases in different parts of Pakistan’s Punjab province, it has warned that detection of the latest cases is a dangerous and alarming sign, indicating that children in several districts remain at risk.
Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic.
In the past, Pakistan has administered over 300 million doses of the oral vaccine annually. But the disease continues to stay rife in the country.
Many analysts have questioned Pakistan government’s continued failure to handle the spread of polio virus.
Resistance to the polio immunization drive grew in Pakistan after the US spy agency CIA organised a fake hepatitis vaccination drive to track Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in the country. One of the most wanted terrorists in the world, Bin Laden was killed in 2011 during a US Navy Seals operation in KP’s Abbottabad.
Several religious leaders also believe that the polio vaccination drops contain traces of pork and alcohol, which is prohibited in Islam.
–IANS
hamza/as
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
