Five more crippled for life due to polio, national figure reaches 58

PESHAWAR-

The total number of Polio cases in Pakistan reached 58 on Tuesday with new cases emerging from North Waziristan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Four new cases were reported from the Federally-Administered area of NW while one case was reported from KP.

The four affected children were reported to have never received an oral anti-polio vaccine.

In this year, four polio cases have been reported from Sindh, nine from KPK and 45 from the FATA.

With the suspension of polio campaign in tribal areas, following a strong opposition by militant groups, more than 160,000 children were at the risk of contracting polio virus.

Since 2012, no anti-polio vaccination drive has been conducted in these areas.

Militants have for a long  time eyed the polio vaccines with suspicion, claiming that they turn the children sterile.

The opposition to polio campaigns grew stronger following an operation by US Navy seals in Abbottabad that killed al-Qaeda’s Osama Bin Laden.

Dr. Shakeel Afridi, a local medical practitioner, had helped the CIA to track down OBL during a fake polio vaccination campaign in the area.