Khyber Pakhtunkhwa report second case of polio this year

PESHAWAR: The National Institute of Health’s (NIH)  Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication verified a polio case in District Torghar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This is the second polio case in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the seventh in Pakistan overall this year.

The government is conducting its second countrywide (NID) Polio campaign of the year, to immunize 45.4 million children under the age of five from April 21 to 27. This will be followed by an additional countrywide campaign from May 26 to June 1.

The vaccination drive encompasses District Torghar, as well as all other districts in the country.

The authorities are urging parents to ensure that their children take repeated doses of the polio vaccination to protect them against the debilitating poliovirus. The continuing polio campaign is a significant chance to protect children from this illness.

However, in an unfortunate incident, two Security personnel deployed with the polio team were shot dead by an unidentified man on Wednesday in the Tiri area of Mastung, officials confirmed.

One of the Levies constables was martyred on the spot, while the other succumbed to injuries in the hospital, raising the death tally to two, both of whom were deployed with the polio team to ensure security.

The vaccination drive in the area had been suspended till further notice due to security reasons, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Manan Tareen stated.