Three more polio cases in NWA on World Health Day

PESHAWAR: As World Health Day was being marked on Monday, three new polio cases were reported from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) that took the number of detected polio cases in Pakistan to 43 this year.

According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell, laboratory confirmed wild poliovirus (type-1) in the tribal agency wracked by Taliban-led militancy. Poliovirus has turned endemic in North Waziristan Agency as this year alone 33 cases of polio (76.7percent of total) were detected in the agency. Three cases this year have already been reported from the neighbouring Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This situation has been hobbling government efforts to purge the country of the disease.

The sources said that a 34-month-old Bushra, daughter of Noor Ali Khan, was confirmed with the poliovirus. Belonging to Mami Rogha village Manzarkhel in tehsil Miranshah, she got her leg paralysed on March 20 and laboratory test confirmed her with poliovirus.

Ashiqullah, son of Noor Badshah, who ages 12 months, had onset of paralysis on March 14. The child’s family comes from Spalgai, village Borakhel Sir Kot in tehsil Miranshah. Another 11-month-old Abuless son of Allah Dar Khan, whose paralysis started on March 19, was also confirmed to have afflicted by the poliovirus. He belongs to Saidgai, village Dewagor Saidgai in tehsil Miranshah.

Two of the victims are boys and one girl. The new polio detections increased the number of polio cases in Pakistan to 43 in 2014. It’s alarming that 42 out of the 43 cases were reported from Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the regions affected by years of militancy. Attacks on polio workers have also aggravated situation and posed serious challenge to the government to deal with poliovirus and attacks at the same time. A whooping 36 cases were detected in Fata and six from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Only one case this year was reported from Baldia Town Karachi.

In the same time period last year, only six cases were detected in the country against 43 this year. Also, seven districts/agencies were infected by poliovirus this year against the six last year for the same time period.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched the “Sehat Ka Insaf” programme to accelerate and ensure polio vaccination in Peshawar, the provincial capital that was described by the WHO the “world’s largest reservoir” of polio. Last Sunday, the programme was extended to three other districts, Mardan, Charsadda and Swabi.

However, in the tribal areas polio vaccination to children has become almost impossible due to militants’ opposition. According to the Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell sources none of the victims in North Waziristan Agency or South Waziristan had received polio drops in 2014. The region remains vulnerable to poliovirus attacks as preventive measures could not be undertaken.

According to the sources, no supplementary immunisation activities (SIAs) could be carried out in North and South Waziristan agencies since June 2012, causing the current outbreak of poliovirus. In 2013, 37 cases of wild polio were reported while this year the number rose to 33. In addition to it, 41 Sabin-2 like virus cases in 2013 and five in 2014 were reported from North Waziristan.