Quetta: Two new polio cases were confirmed on Thursday, in a girl from the Zhob district of Balochistan and another girl from Tank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) according to the Health Department.
The two cases were confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Health.
The number of polio cases in Balochistan has now increased to 16, the highest number of cases in the entire country. Seven cases have been reported in Sindh, three in KP, and
Polio cases need “serious emergency measures”
The health department stated that the number of reported cases in the country has increased to 28.
The girl from Balochistan was 36 months old and the girl from KP was seven months old. Sewage samples previously revealed that the virus could be found in both districts.
Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that “every new case of polio causes pain and concern,” as he directed the health department to begin a special anti-polio campaign.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed the need to eradicate polio in the country though sustained efforts on Tuesday, advocating for effective supervision and checks and balances to stop the re-emergence of the disease in the country.
PM Shehbaz urges sustained efforts to eliminate polio, hepatitis from Pakistan
Prevention through vaccination is the most effective way of combating the disease as once a child is paralysed, the damage is irreversible.