Minor diagnosed with polio virus in Charsadda

PESHAWAR: A boy has been diagnosed with polio virus in Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to officials in the KP Health Department, this is the first case reported in 2018.

One-and-a-half years old Arsalan was tested positive for the P1 serotype of polio virus in Sarkai Tetara union council.

In 2017, one case of polio was reported from Lakki Marwat district of the province.

The health department officials said an anti-polio drive is soon to commence in the province, under which polio drops would be administered to 5.7 million children. Around 16,000 teams have been formed for the drive.

According to UNICEF, polio is an infectious disease caused by a virus. There are three kinds of serotypes of polio virus – P1, P2 and P3. Only P1 and P3 are said to be still found, whereas the last case of p2 was found in India in 1999.

Polio virus found in Lahore sewage

Samples of water collected from Lahore’s sewage have been found to be carrying the polio virus for two consecutive months

Polio virus enters the body with contaminated food or water and also when a person inhales something of the sort. As per UNICEF, once the virus enters the body it multiplies in the intestines and takes over the nervous system causing damage to the nerves. The virus can totally paralyse the affected person and in severe cases also result in death.