News Nation Logo

Pakistan: Four new polio cases take tally to 235

At Least Four New Polio Cases Have Been Reported In Pakistan, Taking The Number Of Those Affected This Year To 235 With The County’s Fight Against The Crippling Disease Showing No Signs Of Improvement.

PTI | Updated on: 01 Nov 2014, 02:26:08 PM

Islamabad:

At least four new polio cases have been reported in Pakistan, taking the number of those affected this year to 235 with the county’s fight against the crippling disease showing no signs of improvement.

An official of the National Institute of Health in the capital confirmed the cases, saying three cases reported from Qilla Abdullah and Quetta in Balochistan and one from South Waziristan tribal region along Afghan border.

The victims never received anti-polio vaccine due to refusal of their parents. Pakistan has already broken its 14-year old record of 199 polio cases in one year that was recorded in 2000.

The northwestern areas are repository of the virus which has also affected other areas.

So far 151 cases have been reported from tribal areas, 48 from Khyber-Pakhyunkhwa province, 23 from Sindh, 10 from Balochistan and three from the largest province of Punjab.

Pakistan government has come under criticism for doing little to eradicate the virus which is a threat to the world.

Security is the main reason for the spread of polio virus as vaccination cannot be organised in tribal areas where Taliban still control large areas.

They consider polio medicine as a conspiracy by the West to sterile Muslims. Peshawar is considered as hub of poliovirus.

Polio is still endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. The World Health Organization in May imposed travel restriction on Pakistan.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.

First Published : 01 Nov 2014, 02:24:00 PM

Videos