Another case of polio virus was detected in Killa Abdullah on Thursday According to officials of Health department of Balochistan, a two-year-old girl named Bibi Hanifa fell prey to the crippling virus. The number of polio cases reported from Balochistan during 2015 now stands at two. The first polio case of the year was reported from Chaghi district.
This new case has raised the total number of polio cases across the country in 2015 to 11, according to data from the National Institute of Health (NIH). A NIH official said, "The winter is known for polio virus' low transmission therefore new cases of polio should not come to surface in this season."
During winter, polio virus becomes less active because of low temperature. A total of 22 polio cases were reported from Balochistan in 2014, most of these were reported from Quetta, Killa Abdullah and Pishin districts of the province. The Balochistan government has declared an emergency to eradicate the crippling virus, and for this purpose, emergency campaigns are being launched in different parts of the province.
Currently, anti-polio campaign is underway in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan to administer polio drops to children below the age of five years. The government tightened security of polio teams following the cold-blooded murder of four polio workers, including three females in Quetta's Eastern Bypass area last year on November 26.