Polio virus detected in sewage water samples in five cities - sources

The National Polio Lab (NPL) has detected polio virus in sewage water samples collected from five cities, including Peshawar, Swat, Rawalpindi, Bannu and South Waziristan, ARY News reported citing sources. 

This year, poliovirus has been detected in 27 climatic samples as well, sources said.

They added that the NPL detected poliovirus in 17 climatic samples collected from KP, eight from Punjab and one from Sindh and Islamabad. The lab has detected the virus in sewage water samples collected from five cities, sources added.

In the current year, NPL has detected the Polio virus for the eighth time in samples collected from Bannu, the fourth time in Peshawar, the third time in Rawalpindi and Swat, whole for the first time in South Waziristan.

Also Read: Poliovirus detected in Karachi sewage samples after a year

NPL collected the sewage sample from August 30 to September 8. Lab experts are working to identify the genetic type of the virus detected in the sewage samples.

Earlier on September 11, Poliovirus was detected from sewage samples in Karachi after a gap of a year, the Sindh health department confirmed. The detection raised alarms as the country, so far, reported 15 cases of crippling diseases in 2022.

“This is the first positive sample from Karachi in the ongoing year as the last positive sample was reported in May 2021,” the health department said, adding that the last polio case was reported from the district in June 2020, and the last immunization campaign was launched from August 15 to 21 2022.