Polio virus detected in Karachi’s environmental sample

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Health on Thursday confirmed that the polio virus has been found in the environmental sample in Karachi district of Sindh, ARY News reported.

According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, this virus is genetically related to the polio virus cluster in Afghanistan.

Caretaker Minister for Health Dr. Nadeem Jan said that steps are being taken on an emergency basis to eradicate polio.

He appealed to parents to give polio drops to their children in the polio campaign. Dr. Nadeem Jan asked parents to save their children from permanent disability.

On October 30, a five-day special anti-polio vaccination campaign has commenced from Monday (today) in Pakistan after wild poliovirus Type-1 was found in sewage lines, raising alarm for the authorities.

The authorities have launched a five-day special anti-polio vaccination campaign in 31 district of all four provinces, where environmental sample testing of sewage samples returned positive for the wild poliovirus Type-1.

Sources told ARY News that the campaign – named Outbreak Response – will be conducted in three phases in six outbreak zones of the four provinces.

Throughout the campaign, over 10 million children under the age of five will receive the vaccine, along with the supplementary dose of vitamin A.