Poliovirus detected in Karachi sewage samples after a year

KARACHI: Poliovirus has been detected from sewage samples in Karachi after a gap of a year, the Sindh health department confirmed on Sunday, raising alarms as the country has so far reported 15 cases of the crippling diseases during the ongoing year.

According to health department, the poliovirus was detected in the sewage samples collected from Bakhtawar village in Landhi. “The poliovirus has been found at 11 spots where sewage samples were collected across the country,” it said, adding that these spots included five in KP and Punjab each and one in Karachi.

The provincial health ministry said that samples are collected every month to detect poliovirus across the country and the one detected in Karachi was collected from Bakhtawar village in Landhi on August 23.

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