ISLAMABAD: Health officials said nine sewage samples collected from six districts across the country tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) notified the National Polio Eradication Emergency Operations Center that WPV1 was found in two wastewater samples.
These samples were collected from Quetta, two from Chaman, two from Peshawar and one each from Karachi South, Karachi Korangi and Mastung between February 21 and February 27, bringing the total number of positive environmental samples in 2024 to 65.
All positive environmental samples contain the YB3A virus cluster that disappeared from Pakistan in 2021 and was reintroduced through cross-border transmission in January 2023.
The virus has been detected in more than 150 wastewater samples since 2023 and five cases in more than 20 districts.
Federal Health Minister said in a statement that poliovirus is a persistent threat to children worldwide.
Children with low immunity due to malnutrition, underlying disease, or unvaccinated or under-vaccinated against childhood diseases and polio are at particular risk of contracting polio because they would not be able to fight off the polio infection.
The Pakistan Polio Programme urges parents and caregivers to understand the risk of this terrible disease and ensure that all children under five years of age in their area receive multiple polio vaccinations.
All six detection areas were covered during two nationwide polio vaccination drives in January and February, during which over 40 million children were vaccinated, with another campaign planned for April. —APP
