RAWALPINDI: Two suspected polio patients have been admitted to government healthcare centres in the Rawalpindi district but the health department said they were routine non-polio cases.

It may be mentioned that Rawalpindi has remained a polio-free district for the last seven years. Only one case was reported from Dhoke Hassu in 2010 but the child had contracted the poliovirus in KP and late come to the garrison city.

On the other hand, the arrival of the suspected polio patients at the healthcare centres raised a question mark on the anti-polio campaigns in the district. The local administration, however, claimed that these were non-polio cases and the samples of the patients had been sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and its reports were awaited.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Mohammad Zeeshan, a resident of Dhoke Hukam Dad Khan in the cantonment areas, was brought to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) with a paralysed hip. A World Health Organisation (WHO) team arrived in the hospital on Tuesday and collected samples of the patient.

However, the medical superintendent of the BBH, Dr Asif Qadir Mir, said the patient was suffering from traumatic neuropathy (paralysis of the leg or arm) as a dispenser at a private clinic had administered him the wrong injection.

He said stool samples of the patient would be sent to the NIH for three days for confirmation. After analysing the samples, the NIH would notify the hospital whether the child was suffering from the crippling disease or not, he added.

A 20-month-old boy was also brought to the rural health centre of Mandra with a paralysed leg. A health department team sent stool samples of the child to the NIH.

When contacted, Executive District Officer (health) Dr Arshad Ali Sabir confirmed that the two suspected cases had been reported to the government health facilities.

“The NIH is yet to confirm them as polio cases but apparently there are no chances of the poliovirus among the two children. Investigations have been launched and the children are being kept under an observation,” he said.

The EDO said before the NIH report it was difficult to say anything about the cases. He said the health department detected many suspected cases every month.

The official said the anti-polio campaigns remained successful in the district and there had been no polio cases in the district for the last many years. He said environmental samples had been collected from the district which also declared the city free from polio.

Published in Dawn September 21st, 2016