Poliovirus found in sewage samples from 17 districts

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Pakistan’s National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in environmental samples from 17 districts already battling polio outbreaks.

Sewage samples from the following districts tested positive for the virus:

Islamabad, Lasbela, Khuzdar, Quetta, Killa Saifullah, D.G. Khan, Barkhan, Sibi, Dukki, Mastung, Lakki Marwat, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Noshki, Kech, Rahim Yar Khan and Lahore.

An official from the laboratory explained that a positive sewage sample indicates the presence of the virus in the environment, whereas a positive case refers to a child being paralysed by the virus.

“Sewage water samples are critical indicators of the success of polio vaccination campaigns,” the official added, emphasizing the need for continued immunization efforts.

The final sub-national anti-polio campaign in Pakistan for the year 2024 failed in achieving its intended target as a total of 1,122,537 children remained unvaccinated.

The campaign primarily aimed to vaccinate 36,360,037 children, but only 35,712,922 children were successfully vaccinated which indicates that 98 per cent of the vaccination target was achieved, the sources said.

They added 739,201 children were not available for vaccination during the polio campaign in Pakistan while 71,330 parents refused to allow their children to receive the vaccine.

The sources said that in total, the sub-national campaign left 302,006 children unvaccinated.