Five new cases of polio surface across country

KARACHI: Five new cases of polio have been reported from various parts of the country, four from  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one from Balochistan, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The cases of the crippling disease were reported in Lakki Marwat, Pishin in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Qilla Abdullah in Balochistan.

The number of polio cases in Pakistan has reached to 17 during the ongoing year.

Meanwhile, a three-day anti-polio campaign is underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the campaign, more than 6 million children under the age of five years will be vaccinated in the province.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony in Peshawar, the Minster for Health Taimur Saleem Jhagra said the government is committed to eradicate the polio disease.

Read More: New cases of poliovirus reported in Sindh, Balochistan, KP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sanaullah Abbasi (RPOs) directed the regional police officers (RPOs) to tighten security of the polio teams during the vaccination campaigns.

A Rotary International delegation called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Feb 5, where they were briefed on the government’s efforts aimed at tackling poliovirus in the country.

The delegation led by the organization’s president was briefed over the country-wide immunization campaigns to tackle the virus. It was briefed that over 250,000 polio-workers were engaged during the process and more than 40 million children are administered polio drops in it.

The Rotary delegation lauded the efforts of the government.