12th polio case reported in Pakistan from North Waziristan

ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel on Thursday confirmed 12^th polio case in the country from North Waziristan, a district that has been a hotbed of the crippling disease in the country.

Abdul Qadir Patel said that the south and northern districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province have been declared sensitive and emergency measures are being taken to completely eradicate polio from the country.

After staying in a polio-free country for almost 15 months, Pakistan has reported 12th case of poliovirus in 2022 so far. Almost all cases have been reported in North Waziristan.

In April 2022, Pakistan national polio laboratory confirmed that the first polio case was detected in North Waziristan, 15 months after the last poliovirus case had been reported back on January 27, 2021, from Killa Abdullah – Balochistan.

The laboratory also confirmed the detection of positive environmental samples collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) earlier in the month.

The government is organising special campaigns on an emergency basis to completely eliminate the poliovirus.