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QUETTA: Balochistan's second case of polio in 2015 was reported in Killa Abdullah district on Thursday morning.
Sources in Balochistan's health department told Dawn that the polio case was reported from Chaman, Pakistan's bordering town with Afghanistan.
A two-year-old girl named Bibi Hanifa fell prey to the crippling virus, they said.
They termed refusal on the part of parents to vaccinate their child as the underlying reason behind her infection.
Also read: ‘Refusal major cause of Balochistan polio cases’
The number of polio cases reported from Balochistan during the year 2015 now stands at two. The first polio case of the year was reported from Chaghi district.
Bibi Hanifa's 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).
Read: New polio case raises 2015’s count to 10
A NIH official had earlier told Dawn: “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, an anti polio campaign is underway in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan to administer polio drops to children below the age of five years.
Police and Levies personnel have been escorting polio teams to ensure their safety.
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 Nov 26.
Pakistan has been considered a polio hub for the past decade. Last year, 306 cases of polio were reported in the country.
Take a look: Lost: Pakistan's battle against polio
It is one of only three countries in the world where polio remains endemic but efforts to eradicate the disease have been severely hindered in recent years as militants continue to attack immunisation teams and polio workers.
