http://www.khaama.com/3-children-diagnosed-with-polio-in-kandahar-province-6845
3 children diagnosed with polio in Kandahar province
By Khaama Press - Thu Oct 16 2014
According to local authorities in southern Kandahar province, at least three children have been diagnosed with polio in Kandahar city, Dund and Panjwai districts.
Provincial public health directorate chief, Abdul Qayum Pakhla, said one of the children diagnosed with polio had repatriated to Kandahar from Karachi city of Pakistan, while two others have moved to Kandahar from Helmand and Uruzgan provinces.
This comes as local officials in Kandahar province had said that the polio cases have reached to zero level in southern Kandahar and Helmand provinces, where majority of cases were reported earlier.
Although polio has been eradicated from many countries, the disease remains rife in Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern Nigeria.
The polio strain in Afghanistan and Pakistani is identical. Unfortunately with over 1.5 million children crossing the frontier every year, cross-border transmission is an inevitable eventuality.
Currently Afghan health workers are positioned at the border crossings in an attempt to monitor all children who cross, vaccinating any who are at risk of contracting the disease.
However, many people do not cross the border at formal customs posts, choosing instead to use tracks across the mountains and deserts. This makes it increasingly difficult for health workers to identify any potential health risks.
Follow Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agen
3 children diagnosed with polio in Kandahar province
By Khaama Press - Thu Oct 16 2014
According to local authorities in southern Kandahar province, at least three children have been diagnosed with polio in Kandahar city, Dund and Panjwai districts.
Provincial public health directorate chief, Abdul Qayum Pakhla, said one of the children diagnosed with polio had repatriated to Kandahar from Karachi city of Pakistan, while two others have moved to Kandahar from Helmand and Uruzgan provinces.
This comes as local officials in Kandahar province had said that the polio cases have reached to zero level in southern Kandahar and Helmand provinces, where majority of cases were reported earlier.
Although polio has been eradicated from many countries, the disease remains rife in Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern Nigeria.
The polio strain in Afghanistan and Pakistani is identical. Unfortunately with over 1.5 million children crossing the frontier every year, cross-border transmission is an inevitable eventuality.
Currently Afghan health workers are positioned at the border crossings in an attempt to monitor all children who cross, vaccinating any who are at risk of contracting the disease.
However, many people do not cross the border at formal customs posts, choosing instead to use tracks across the mountains and deserts. This makes it increasingly difficult for health workers to identify any potential health risks.
Follow Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agen