Poliovirus found in Karachi, Hangu sewage samples

The National Institute of Health has said that Pakistan reported two poliovirus cases this year and 27 positive environmental samples.

Traces of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) have been found in sewage samples collected from Hangu and Karachi.

According to the Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, a sewage sample collected from the Keamari area of Karachi on Sept 5 and two samples collected from Hangu on Sept 6 tested positive for WPV1.

The lab, which is also the World Health Organization’s Regional Reference Lab, stated that the virus isolated from all three sewage samples was genetically connected to the YB3A cluster circulating in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Federal Minister for Health Dr Nadeem Jan vowed to stamp out poliovirus from the country, saying: “Viruses move with people and can infect vulnerable children anywhere. We are launching a nationwide polio vaccination campaign in October to build children’s immunity.”

The minister urged the parents to ensure that their children under five years of age were immunised in this campaign and their routine vaccinations were up to date.

The minister said that Pakistan and Afghanistan were one epidemiological block with historical ties and widespread population movement, and both the countries were united in their fight against this crippling virus.

Read also: Interruptions in polio programme

Federal Health Secretary Iftikhar Shallwani said, “The polio programme has mounted efficient responses to all detections so far and is well prepared to deal with the virus anywhere in the country.”

He said, “Community ownership and engagement have been critical to eradication in all countries that have wiped this disease out.

“As a nation, we remain united for the cause of a polio-free Pakistan so that our children have the chance to live a life free of the disease.”

A national polio campaign is scheduled to start from Oct 2 to vaccinate over 40 million children under the age of five against polio. All children in Hangu and Karachi will be vaccinated during this drive.

Pakistan has so far reported two polio cases and 27 positive environmental samples.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, his/her protection against the virus is increased.

Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free, besides the two endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.