Health Ministry confirms poliovirus in environmental samples

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Health has confirmed the presence of the polio virus in environmental samples from four districts of the country.

According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, the poliovirus was found in four environmental samples from Karachi Kemari, Hyderabad, Chaman, and Peshawar.

He said that Pakistan has the most extensive and sensitive polio surveillance system in the world. He added that polio surveillance systems lead to rapid virus confirmation.

The spokesman said that poliovirus quickly and easily targets children with weakened immune systems. “Polio vaccination is the only way to protect children from the virus and disability,” he added.

The health ministry concluded by saying that parents must administer polio drops to children under five years of age during every campaign.

Last year, Islamabad reported six polio cases as Pakistan and Afghanistan remained the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic.

In Dec 2023, a nine-month-old child in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district became the latest victim of the crippling disease. The Ministry of Health confirmed that the polio virus was found in a 9-month-old child in Orakzai district.