PESHAWAR, March 29: The NWFP health department has found the first polio case of the year in the province, officials said here. A 14-month-old boy, Raees Khan, was diagnosed as a polio patient this week, Dr Abraham, chief of the Polio Eradication Initiative of the World Health Organisation for the NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, said.

He said the child of Sulman Khel tribe belonged the Lachra union council in Dera Ismail Khan district. His father had migrated to Pakistan from Gardez about 30 years ago. Dr Abraham said the affected child had received 11 doses of oral polio vaccine. This was the second such case in the country, he said.

A health expert said three of the five polio patients reported last year had been vaccinated.

WHO officials said children needed at least 10 doses of anti-polio drops. Sometimes the children did not retain the vaccine because of dysentery, diarrhoea or low immunity at the time of vaccination, they said. They said such children should be identified and vaccinated when they became healthy.

They said frequent electricity breakdowns in remoter areas also affected efficacy of stored vaccine.