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KARACHI: A three – year – old girl has been tested positive for poliovirus, becoming the first case of the crippling disease of the current year, officials of the Sindh Ministry of Health said Thursday.
"It is with great regret that we announce the first case of poliomyelitis in Sindh in 2019, when a 36-month-old girl was tested positive for the virus at UC-9 in Lyari Town," said Dr. Masood Solangi, general director of health Sind.
He stated that the child had received oral polio vaccine (OPV) several times, but that she had a history of illness and that she was malnourished, her immunity was therefore low and her members were weakened.
"The fact that this girl is not paralyzed shows that the oral polio vaccine is effective"
However, he stated that the child would not suffer from paralysis as she had been vaccinated with OPV several times and had fully recovered.
"We must recognize the importance of immunization," said Umar Bullo, coordinator of the polio emergency operations center in Sindh. "The fact that this girl is not paralyzed shows that the oral polio vaccine works," he added.
"If she had not received OPV on more than seven occasions, she would have to suffer from a lifetime disability. This is also a message for families who refuse to vaccinate their children. "
The EOC official said that by not vaccinating children, parents were exposing their own children and those of other people to danger.
The last case in Sindh has brought the national figure to six this year. Last year, only one case of polio was reported in the Gadap neighborhood of Karachi, a historic record for the province.
The country reported 12 polio cases in 2018.
"The government of Sindh will respond with force and a campaign is planned in the city from March 25," said one official.
"Despite major improvements in the program and a decrease in the number of cases, we can not rest and must ensure that no child is affected by a preventable disease through vaccination."
The EOC asked parents to badume their responsibilities and to comply with the recommendations of the health experts and to cooperate with the polio teams.
Posted in Dawn, March 22, 2019
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