fbpx

Thousands more at risk: Polio cripples another child from Bara

Amid the World Health Organisation fears that Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency could transmit polio to other areas for having the virus in high

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on whatsapp
Share on print

Amid the World Health Organisation fears that Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency could transmit polio to other areas for having the virus in high circulation, another case of the crippling childhood ailment has been detected in the restive tribal area.

The case is reported after a break of almost four weeks.

WHO officials say thousands of Bara children, who have migrated to Jalozai Camp due to the military crackdown on militants, are at the risk of being crippled by polio.

On Tuesday, National Institute of Health, Islamabad confirmed one type-1 wild poliovirus case from Bara in Khyber Agency that brought the total number of countrywide polio cases reported this year to 15.

The new polio victim, Mohammad Arif, is eight-month-old, who was paralysed on March 11 this year. This resident of Haji Mir Gul Kalay, Shalobar area in Bara, has so far received no dose of oral polio vaccine (OPV).

The relevant officials said Bara couldn`t be accessed by anti-polio teams for three years until recently when children were vaccinated against the crippling disease.

They said from August 8, 2009 to last week, anti-polio drops couldn`t be administered to over 100,000 children residing in various parts of Khyber Agency, especially Bara.

According to them, this is the fifth polio case reported by Khyber Agency this year. The agency is the only region in the country and in the entire Asia reporting both types of polio cases (type1 and type-3).

Last month, the WHO country chief sent a letter to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary asking him to make arrangements for vaccination of Bara IDPs in Jalozai to protect children of the nearby Nowshera and Peshawar districts against polio.

In response to WHO warning, the government launched emergency polio campaign in Bara and Jalozai Camp of late. “In order to stop the spread of the virus to Peshawar, we have established 24 transit polio checkpoints on routes leading out of Bara, whereas 110 polio teams are vaccinating kids inside the Jalozai IDP camp,” a relevant official said.

According to the official, the emergency response has been divided into three phases. The first began on Monday to vaccinate children aged up to 15 living in the camp, while in the second, children up to the age of 15 living in the nearby districts will be vaccinated against measles besides being given Vitamin A drops.

The last phase will be carried out during the second week of April focusing only on poliovirus by administering oral vaccine.

During the campaign, 30,000 children up to the age of 15 will be administered OPV, while 7,000 children outside the camp will also be given anti-polio drops. The second phase of the emergency polio round will last Wednesday.

During the first three months of the last year, the country reported 22 polio cases. Bara reported 18 polio cases in 2010 and 16 in 2011.

Polio Vaccine

We appreciate user feedback, please leave your feedback about this article below.
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}