ISLAMABAD: Recent reports reveal that Pakistan remains at the top of a list of countries where the polio virus still thrives.
According to reports, polio cases in Pakistan have surged to 88. Out of these cases, 69 belong to Fata, seven to Sindh and 12 to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the total number of cases in Afghanistan (4) and Nigeria (3) remain comparatively low.
Pakistan has also been slapped with travel sanctions. Immunisation has been made compulsory by the WHO to prevent the virus from being transferred to other countries. Experts believe that 90 percent polio cases in 2013 originate from areas where there are significant barriers to vaccination.
No case has been reported in Balochistan since October 2012. This leads many to assert that Balochistan is a polio-free province.
However, the risk of polio has increased, following the influx of the IDPs into Balochistan from North Waziristan. The provincial Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch discredits Balochistan’s polio-free status.
“Although no cases have been detected since 2012, environmental samples results remain positive,” the minister said.
He added that Lady Health Workers (LHWs), who are normally paid by the UNICEF and WHO, are now being paid by the provincial authorities to grapple with the alarming increase in the polio virus. INTERNEWS
