1st polio case of the year detected in Kandahar

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): A 60 months old boy in southern Afghanistan has diagnosed positive for polio, the first case to be detected in the war-torn country this year, a media report said on Saturday.

The child, who was twice administered polio drops, belongs to Kandahar, bordering Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan. At least 80,000 Afghan children were missed during the last few campaigns.

Dawn quoted the National Emergency Operation Centre head as saying Pakistan and Afghanistan were the only countries in the world transferring the poliovirus to each other.

The main reason is that the two countries share a 2,500km long border. Dr. Rana SafdarChildren were vaccinated at legal entry points at the border but many people crossed the border illegally.

“Unfortunately, we cannot do much to address the issue of malnutrition in children. However, we have been focusing on permanent transit points at the border with Afghanistan,” he said.

There are 2,500 transit points across Pakistan, which will to take more steps to ensure that no child enteredthe country without immunisation.

In Pakistan, one polio case has been confirmed by the National Institute of Health. A sample collected from 34-month-old Ijaz Khan from Karachi in January confirmed the child had the onset of polio.

PAN Monitor/mud 

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