By Cosmos Sangma
Tura, Aug 14: Garo Hills has detected its first ever case of polio virus in the region on Tuesday, raising apprehension about a disease that was once labelled as “eliminated “.
A child from Tikrikilla, who was having symptoms of Poliomyelitis was taken to Goalpara in Assam, on Tuesday, where doctors diagnosed him with the disease.
The child apparantly came from a Tikrikilla village where vaccination was a taboo for villagers who preferred traditional medicine practices.
Speaking to The Meghalayan Express, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Jagdish Chelani confirmed the detection.
“A team from the World Health Organization and the state health department are on the way to monitor the polio situation,” informed DC Chelani.
The Garo Hills detection is the first ever after the Madhya Pradesh case where a child with the polio virus was detected in 2022.