Poliovirus has been confirmed in two more children from North Waziristan Agency (NWA).
According to an official at the Chief Minister’s Polio Monitoring Cell, 23-month-old Somiya is the seventh to be infected with polio this year. Somiya, daughter of Attaullah, is a resident of Kati Katlain village of Miranshah tehsil of the agency.
On Jan 28, another 23-month-old was diagnosed with polio. Khateer, son of Said Manullah, is a resident of Mat Khel, Mirali tehsil.
Just like all other children infected in the area, Somiya has also not received a single dose of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) due to a ban imposed on polio vaccinations in the agency by the Taliban. A few samples from last year are still under process in the laboratory, the monitoring cell official confirmed.
No supplementary immunisation activities have been conducted in North and South Waziristan agencies since June 2012, leading to the explosive polio outbreak. NWA alone reported 35 polio cases in 2013 and children there continue to be infected in 2014.
Experts believe an anticipated population displacement as a result of military operations in NWA will enhance the risk of poliovirus spreading to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the regions beyond. Health officials suggest immunisation activities should be carried out in Bannu and DI Khan as several families from the tribal areas have migrated to these districts.
