UAE business activity and business confidence remained strong
Pakistani health authorities on Friday confirmed the seventh case of polio so far this year, saying it was registered in the country’s former Taliban stronghold in the northwest, a region bordering Afghanistan.
The outbreak, after the first polio case of 2022 was registered in the same region in April, is a blow to the country’s efforts to eradicate the disease, which can cause severe paralysis in children.
All seven cases have been reported in North Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the government has launched an investigating into the outbreak. Parents in the region often refuse to get their children inoculated.
Pakistan’s Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel issued a statement on Friday, saying authorities were taking steps to protect the gains made by the government’s polio eradication programme in recent years. He urged parents to get their children vaccinated.
ALSO READ:
Pakistan’s anti-polio campaigns are regularly marked by violence. Militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilise children.
North Waziristan, a former tribal region, was a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban until recently, when the military claimed to have cleared the region of militants following several widescale operations there. However, attacks still persist.
Pakistan has for the past 25 years carried out regular inoculation campaigns in which health workers go door-to-door to give polio drops to children. Most of the workers are women, as they can get better access to mothers and children. The anti-polio teams are often escorted by security forces.
So far this year, the government carried out three nationwide anti-polio drives — in January, March and in May. During the March campaign, gunmen in northwestern Pakistan shot and killed a female polio worker as she was returning home after a day of vaccinations. And in January, gunmen shot and killed a police officer providing security for polio vaccination workers, also in the country’s northwest.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic. In 2021, Pakistan reported only one case, raising hopes it was close to eradicating polio.
UAE business activity and business confidence remained strong
Trend Micro showcases its unified cyber security platform at Gisec
CIP leader showcases live demo of nuclear power plant at Gisec
Achievement signifies back-to-back successes for Aeon & Trisl in the industry
A ministerial committee has been set up to assess damages and distribute compensation
The actor complained about a widely-circulated deepfake video that showed him promoting political views
Fans flooded the comments section with expressions of excitement and nostalgia
The 'Dangal' actor has shed light on his choice to skip film award ceremonies, emphasising the value of time