BAHAWALPUR: Another poliovirus case has surfaced in the district as an eight-month-old baby in the Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur has been declared carrying the virus.

The infant, identified as Hassan Noor, belongs to Union Council Banwala of tehsil Ahmedpur East.

This is the second polio case that has appeared in the district in the ongoing month. Earlier, a fifteen year old boy was confirmed carrying the poliovirus and his left leg was affected. He too belonged to Ahmedpur East, from its union council Kulab.

According to the health department officials, Hassan, who was already ill, was brought to the BVH a few days back. His blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad for tests, which confirmed the poliovirus. The virus has already affected his both legs and arms.

The officials, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn an inquiry into the new polio case would be launched to confirm whether Hassan was administered polio drops regularly or not since his birth eight months back. The officials added that the negligent officials and members of polio vaccinators’ teams would be taken to task after a thorough inquiry.

Meanwhile, police arrested another man on charge of attacking a polio vaccinators’ team that was accompanied by Assistant Commissioner (AC) Muhammad Uzman Chaudhry. The suspect has been identified as Qari Asadullah.

According to the first information report (FIR), lodged with the Kotwali police on the complaint of the AC, when team members knocked at the door of Asadullah in Munir Colony, he pushed away the team members and broke the vaccine carrier.

Asadullah was overpowered with the help of policemen accompanying the health department team.

This was the third case of attack and threats to the polio team members in the district.

On Thursday, two incidents of such attacks were reported in Khairpur Tamewali city and Muhammadi Colony of Bahawalpur.

KITES: Hasilpur City police arrested one Maqbool Ahmed for selling kites and seized 90 kites from his possession.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2020