Northern Pakistan has reported its first Polio case in nearly seven years, dealing a blow to the South Asian nation’s marketing campaign to eradicate the infectious illness.
The virus was detected in a 23-month-old baby from Diamer district within the Gilgit-Baltistan area, in keeping with the nation’s polio eradication programme. That is Pakistan’s eleventh case since January this yr, regardless of the launch of a number of immunisation drives.
The case was reported after a polio eradication workforce got here underneath hearth on Sunday, police mentioned.
In line with native police, unknown armed males opened hearth on the polio workforce in Sheikho village of the Tangir Valley, accusing them of “ruining the surroundings” via the well being marketing campaign. The car of the workforce was stopped on the RCC bridge.
“You all are ruining the surroundings right here by bringing [unveiled] ladies from Gilgit within the identify of the polio marketing campaign. If you happen to do that once more, you received’t be capable to escape,” the armed gunmen mentioned, in keeping with Daybreak.
The pictures fired by them punctured the tyres of the polio workforce’s car, the police mentioned.
Regional officers mentioned they had been conscious of the incident and had ordered strict motion. Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan administration, mentioned the chief minister had taken be aware of the firing.
He added that the polio monitoring workforce was moved to a protected location instantly after the incident. He mentioned the incident occurred as a result of the polio workforce had gone to the world “with out informing the police”.
Authorities had been nonetheless making an attempt to find out how the poliovirus, initially discovered within the southern port metropolis of Karachi, had contaminated the kid in Diamer, Mohammad Iqbal, a director on the polio programme within the northwest, mentioned.
1000’s of vacationers from Karachi and elsewhere go to resorts in Gilgit-Baltistan in the course of the summer season season.
The most recent case emerged after Pakistan wrapped up its third nationwide polio vaccination drive of the yr on Sunday, aiming to immunize 45 million kids.
Pakistan and its neighbour Afghanistan are the one two international locations the place the unfold of the wild polio virus has not been stopped, in keeping with the World Well being Group.
There are ongoing outbreaks of polio linked to the oral vaccine in 10 different international locations, principally in Africa.
Pakistan has confronted vaccine hesitancy and misinformation campaigns which have slowed progress in eradicating the illness.
Healthcare employees and police assigned to guard them are generally focused by gunmen who falsely declare the polio vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilise kids.
Because the Nineteen Nineties, assaults on polio vaccination groups within the nation have killed over 200 employees and safety personnel.
