Pakistan: Polio virus detected in Quetta linked to Sukkur

Polio virus detected in a sewerage line in Quetta on Monday was traced to Sukkur, an official said.

An official of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), who requested anonymity owing to sensitivity of the matter, told Dawn.com that the samples found in a sewerage line in Western Bypass area of Quetta were linked to Sukkur city of Sindh province. "We collected the sample and are investigating it," he said.

He said scorching heat in Sindh had forced many people to migrate to Balochistan every summer. "Chances of polio virus double after migration of people from Sindh," he added.

The Secretary Health government of Balochistan called an emergency meeting of Unicef and other stakeholders to discuss all ways and means to eradicate the polio virus from the province.

The Unicef official said the government decided to re-launch an emergency anti-polio campaign in Quetta, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Bolan, Jhal Magsi and Dera Bugti districts of Balochistan starting from June 23.

He said a three-day campaign would be launched in the aforesaid districts to ensure provision of polio drops to children below five years.

The Balochistan government has also directed the administration to beef up security arrangements during the anti-polio campaign in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan to avert any untoward incident.

"This year a total of 75 polio cases were reported from across the country," he said, adding that 57 cases were reported from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), 12 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and six from Sindh.

However, the Unicef official said that no case of polio virus was reported from Punjab or Balochistan this year.

Militants in the past have targeted polio workers in Quetta, Pishin and Loralai cities of Balochistan.

Pakistan currently stands at the top in the last three polio endemic countries in the world, which also include Nigeria and Afghanistan.