Three-year-old paralysed in KP as Pakistan reports second polio case of 2023

PESHAWAR – Pakistan has reported another case of wild poliovirus, the second in 2023 despite all-out efforts from government and private organisations.

The latest victim to fall prey to the contagious virus is a three-year-old girl in the same northwestern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where several cases were reported.

The Ministry of National Health Services confirmed that poliovirus has been detected in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in the second polio case of this year.

Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel expressed serious concern about the new case which disabled a child for life. PPP leader again gave a message for vaccination, saying the country stood on a firmer footing against the contagious virus.

He reiterated efforts being taken to eradicate polio on a stable basis and maintained that no new case has been reported from outside KP since 2021.

Polio is a highly infectious and debilitating disease that is usually spread through contaminated water or food. Invading the nervous system, the disease can cause total paralysis within hours.

The contagious virus thrived in the borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan where militants attacked and even killed anti-polio teams.