Pakistan: Alarming rise: Five new polio cases confirmed in Fata

On a single day, five new polio cases were confirmed in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata), increasing the total number of cases in the country to 91 in 2013.

According to the laboratory report, these cases were reported in the third week of December last year, but the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, confirmed the cases on Saturday. Four of the cases were reported from North Waziristan Agency while one case was detected in Khyber Agency.

The volatile tribal areas have been the highest contributor to the total number of cases, with 65 children affected by the crippling virus in the Fata.

According the NIH, the infected children – like all other cases – had not received any dose of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). One of the five cases confirmed included that of 15-month-old Adil, from tehsil Razmak, North Waziristan agency. Others from North Waziristan include: Zakimullah, the 18-month-old son of Sharoof, from Miran Shah; another 18-month-old Amina, daughter of Hayatullah, also from Miramshah; and two-year-old Muntazir, son of Molvi Ataullah, from Miramshah.

Meanwhile, the fifth child infected with the poliovirus is 15-month-old Shamsullal from Bara tehsil, Khyber Agency.

Out of a total number of 91 polio cases across the country, seven are from Punjab, nine from Sindh, 10 from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and 65 from Fata.