Polio detected in 30 samples since Dec

Since December last year, Type-1 Wild Poliovirus has been detected in 30 environmental samples collected from various parts of the country.

Over one third of the samples tested positive for the disease were collected from Karachi.

According to a detailed statement issued by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), 28 of these samples were collected in Jan 2024, while two in Dec 2023.

Five of these samples were collected from Quetta; four from Karachi East; two each from Karachi Keamari, Karachi South, Chaman and Peshawar; and one each from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, Karachi Central, Karachi Korangi, Karachi Malir, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Pishin, Kech, Nasirabad and Khuzdar.

In Quetta, the environmental sample was collected on Dec 18 from the Jataka Kili and Takhtani environmental sample collection site. This was the 10th positive sample from Quetta in 2023.

In Khuzdar, the environmental sample was collected on Dec 27 from the Katan Pul environmental sample collection site. This was the first positive sample from Khuzdar in 2023.

In Rawalpindi, the environmental sample was collected on Jan 8, 2024 from the Dhok Dalal environmental sample collection site. This was the first positive sample from Rawalpindi this year.

The sample collected from Dera Ghazi Khan on Jan 16, 2024 from the Main Disposal environmental sample collection site was the first positive sample from the district this year. The previous positive sample from the district was collected on Jan 12, 2021.

In Lahore, the environmental sample was collected on Jan 8, 2024 from the Outfall Station-G environmental sample collection site. This was the first positive sample from Lahore this year.

Karachi East environmental sample was collected on Jan 9, 2024 from the Sohrab Goth environmental sample collection site. Earlier on Jan 8, another sample was collected from Machar Colony site of Karachi East. The other two samples from Karachi East were respectively collected on Jan 10 and 11 from Rashid Minhas and Chakora Nullah sites.

In Karachi Keamari, the environmental sample was collected on Jan 3 from the ‘Orangi Nala’ environmental sample collection site. Another environmental sample from Karachi Keamari was collected on Jan 8 from Muhammad Khan Colony.

The first environmental sample from Karachi South was collected on Jan 4 from Hijrat Colony while the second was collected from Manzoor Colony on Jan 16.

In Karachi Central, the environmental sample was collected on Jan 2 from Haji Mureed Goth. The environmental sample from Karachi Korangi was collected on Jan 10 from the Korangi Nala site.

The last sample tested positive in Karachi was from Malir. It was collected on Jan 15 from the Landhi Bakhtawar Village Colony environmental sample collection site.