Another polio virus case surfaced in Balochistan: officials

QUETTA: Another case of the crippling polio virus disease has surfaced in Balochistan, taking the tally of the cases for the current year to 21 in the province, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Provincial health department has confirmed that a ten-month old baby girl, resident of Kharotabad near Quetta, tested positive for the virus.

The health officials said that the samples of the child had been taken on November 11 and 12 and its results found positive.

Balochistan health department officials claimed that the victim’s family members had refused to get their child vaccinated during anti-polio campaigns.

Earlier on September 25, a polio case had been reported in Ahmedpur East tehsil in Punjab’s Bahawalpur district.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by polio virus mainly affecting children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death.

While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Repeated immunizations have protected millions of children from polio across the world, allowing almost all countries to become polio-free.

There are only two countries in the world, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, where polio cases are still being reported.