ISLAMABAD: In the second case this year, a three-year-old boy has been paralysed by wild poliovirus in Bannu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The case was confirmed by the Pakistan National Polio Labora­tory at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad on Tuesday. Both cases this year have been detected from Bannu.

“This three-year-old child will live with disabilities for the rest of his life because of a virus that is enti­rely preventable, which is truly tragic,” said Federal Health Minis­ter Abdul Qadir Patel in a statement.

National Emergency Op­­erations Centre Coordina­tor Dr Shahzad Baig said: “Over the past year, Bannu had remained a cause for concern, with the persistent detection of the virus in the environment, but regrettably, two children have been affected this year.”

Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd, 2023