MARDAN, Sept 13: In an unusual development, an 11-year-old girl was tested positive for crippling disease of polio in Mardan district, according to officials.

“Commonly polio affects children of five years or below it. It is surprising to see an 11-year-old girl affected by polio,” an official said. The first-ever overage polio case, which is 33rd in the current year in the country, is being viewed as an alarm for the planners and donor agencies, who had hitherto focused on children up to 60 months.

The official said that National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad had communicated to the district health authorities about the new case.

According to the laboratory report, Tasmina, daughter of Mohammad Ajmal, a resident of Tila Khan Kallay, Takht Bhai, was tested positive for polio virus. The girl was suffering from low-immunity, the official said.

He said that a strong surveillance system by district health management was praiseworthy because it recorded the new case with the victim having more than fiver years of age.