Poliovirus detected in Pindi samples

Indecision on part of the Punjab government imperilled anti-polio campaign’s future

RAWALPINDI:

The district health authority has detected the presence of the poliovirus in the Rawalpindi environmental samples.

The samples were collected from the Nullah Leh from areas of Dhok Dalal and Pirwudhai. The reports compiled on Tuesday have confirmed the presence of the virus in them.

Following this, the health department has started marking these areas as high risk. Meanwhile, the district administration has not announced the date to launch the anti-polio drive that was supposed to start on March 1.

The Rawalpindi health department has finalised all arrangements to immunise around 90,000 children aged below five. However, the indecision on part of the Punjab government has imperilled the campaign’s future.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2020.