Poliovirus found in sewage samples of Pakistan's seven districts

ISLAMABAD: Polio virus has been detected in sewage samples collected from seven districts across Pakistan, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio said on Saturday.

According to the NEOC, the latest weekly environmental testing, conducted between May 08 to 23, revealed the presence of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples from multiple locations.

The NEOC confirmed that sewage samples in four provinces showed signs of contamination. Positive samples were reported from two districts each from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The virus found in Sindh’s Larkana and Mirpur Khas districts, Punjab’s Rawalpindi, KP’s South Waziristan and Upper Dir and Baluchistan’s Gwadar and Quetta districts, according to the NEOC.

On the other hand, sewage samples of Lahore and Baluchistan’s Pishin districts were found free of poliovirus.

So far, 12 confirmed polio cases have been reported in the country this year.

In previous year 74 polio cases were reported in the country.

Polio

Polio is a crippling 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 diseases at health facilities.

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