KP likely to postpone anti-polio drive

PESHAWAR: The anti-polio drive that was scheduled for April 29 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is likely to be postponed, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, the decision to postpone the anti-polio drive was taken by the KP government due to lack of security in the province.

Sources said that the KP government has excused itself from providing security as the personnel will perform their duties for by-elections on April 28.

Furthermore, the anti-polio drive in 26 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) will now kick off on May 6.

Earlier, National Institute of Health (NIH) sources said that Polio virus was found in sewerage of the major cities of Pakistan.

According to a technical report of polio-positive sewerage samples compiled by the NIH, the virus of crippling disease was found in nine sewerage samples of five cities of Pakistan including, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Chaman and Mastung.

The samples were taken from February 21 to 27 and tested positive for the wild poliovirus.

Sources quoting the NIH report said that the polio virus was found in the sewerage of Karachi South and Korangi.

In Peshawar, the virus was detected in the sewerage of Peshawar’s Shaheen Muslim Town, while in Quetta, the virus was found in the sewerage of Sir Pul, Taosabad.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan reported two polio cases in 2024 so far.

The first polio case of 2024 was reported in Dera Bugti where a two-and-a-half-year-old child from Dera Bugti was confirmed with the poliovirus whereas the second case was reported in Chaman’s Mir Ali Zai area where a four-year-old boy was confirmed with the disease.