HANGU: The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday confirmed the presence of poliovirus in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The environmental samples were taken from different areas of Hangu after suspecting presence of poliovirus, which has been confirmed now.
Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said the presence of poliovirus in Hangu is similar to the one in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
Terming the presence of the crippling in Hangu, Abdul Qadir Patel urged the parents to ensure the vaccination of their children.
He said only vaccination can protect children from the poliovirus and added eliminating the crippling virus from Pakistan is our national priority.
Earlier, Secretary Health Balochistan Waqas Ahmed inaugurated an anti-polio campaign, that aimed to vaccinate 1.262 million children against polio in Quetta.
According to details, as many as 1.262 million children were vaccinated against polio in 393 Union Councils across 18 districts in Quetta.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district Bannu has reported first case of the 2023. Last year, the KP had reported 22 cases.
