PAKISTAN: New polio case in Balochistan
Mar
11
11
PAKISTAN: New polio case in Balochistan
Source: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78879
PAKISTAN: New polio case in Balochistan
ISLAMABAD, 23 June 2008 (IRIN) - The confirmation of a new polio case, this time in the vast southwestern province of Balochistan, has raised concerns about the current anti-polio campaign.
The latest case appeared in a village near the town of Chaman, Killa Abdullah District, along the province's western border with Afghanistan. Afghanistan, like Pakistan, is one of the world's four remaining polio endemic countries, and health officials in Pakistan have complained of transmission of the virus across the border.
Aurangzeb Kamal, project officer for the Polio Programme in Balochistan, said a two-year-old boy, Zahoor, had been infected - a fact later confirmed by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad.
This brings to 14 the number of polio cases detected in Pakistan in 2008. It is the first case in Balochistan in 2008; three were reported there in 2007. Most cases this year have been in Sindh, though local health officials said some of these were migrants from the north of the country.
A meeting of international experts to discuss the polio situation in Pakistan is scheduled to start in Karachi on 24 June. It is expected a proposal may be made at the conference to raise the age limit for polio vaccination from five to 10 years.
“Ignorance”
One problem is that in some cases parents are refusing to have their children immunised: Kamal and other officials confirmed that Zahoor did not receive a dose of the anti-polio vaccine as his father had refused permission for his son to be given drops. Some groups, especially in parts of the North West Frontier Province and Balochistan where the influence of extremist groups is strong, believe the vaccine may cause infertility and is part of an anti-Muslim campaign by the West.
"It is unfortunate children suffer due to the ignorance of their parents," Nabiha Said, a Quetta-based doctor, told IRIN.
The federal and provincial governments have said they are determined to work to ensure such views do not impede the vaccination drive, but it will obviously take time to ensure every child can be protected from polio.
Another polio case detected
By Saleem Shahid
QUETTA, June 24: Another child has fallen victim to polio in Balochistan because of wrong perceptions about vaccination among the people.
The case had been detected in a village of Pashin district, sources in the provincial immunisation programme told Dawn here on Tuesday.
It was the second polio cases reported in the province this year and 15th in the country.
“The deadly virus has paralysed for life a 14-month-old boy, Noorullah Achakzai, son of Paida Mohammad Achakzai, in Melizai union council of Naliramoza village,” provincial health authorities said, adding that the National Institute Health (NIH) Laboratory had confirmed the case.
The sources said the village was known for negative perceptions about polio vaccination as a plot by the West to render Muslim children infertile.
“It is very sad to know that another innocent child has been paralysed for life because of the baseless rumour about the vaccine that has helped about 80 per cent of the Muslim world to get rid of the polo virus,” they said.
During the past week, another polio case was detected in the Miralizai border village of Qila Abdullah — two-year-old Zahoor.
During the current year, 10 polio case have been reported in Sindh, three in the NWFP and two in Balochistan.
#If you have any other info about this subject , Please add it free.# |
Posted in enart.mercebank.com by admin| edit
