Polio virus detected in sewage samples from Sindh districts

ISLAMABAD: Poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples collected from Mirpurkhas, Thatta, and Naushahro Feroze districts in Sindh, ARY News reported.

According to sources, the samples were collected on December 23 and 24 for poliovirus testing.

The sources confirmed that the samples tested positive for Wild Poliovirus Type 1. This development comes after over 480 sewage samples tested positive for poliovirus in 2024.

This development comes as Pakistan continues to grapple with the challenge of polio eradication, with 73 polio cases reported across the country in 2024 alone.

Earlier, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed the detection of the wild poliovirus case type 1 (WPV1) in the country.

Also read: Another polio case reported in Pakistan

The lab confirmed one polio case from a female child from D.I.Khan. The onset of this case was on December 31, 2024.

D.I.Khan now reported 11 polio cases in 2024.

Pakistan has been responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1 with 72 cases reported in 2024. Of these, 27 are from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

Polio

Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.

The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Program on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities.

The year’s first Polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to be conducted nationwide from February 3- 9, 2025.

It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.