The National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed a new Polio affair in Bannu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, this year the total number of cases in the province of three and eight on a national scale, the authorities announced.
Confirmation comes as Pakistan produces its second national vaccination campaign for polio of the year, aimed at immunizing more than 45.4 million children under the age of five, including 2.6 million in the unpleasant southwest province of Balutchistan.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the country’s anti-political efforts at a high-level exam meeting, noting that no new cases had been reported since February 10. He has credited the success of national initiatives and support during international partners.
The current inoculation campaign, which started this week, will take place until April 27, with another training scheduled from May 26 to June 1.
Polio remains endemic in only two countries around the world, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The virus, which mainly affects children under the age of five, can cause irreversible paralysis but is avoidable with a few drops of oral vaccine.
