Pindi passes key polio monitoring tests

Suspected Congo virus case also tests negative

RAWALPINDI:

All three environmental samples collected from the Rawalpindi district tested negative for poliovirus, the District Health Authority (DHA) claimed in its latest anti-polio campaign achievement.

Additionally, all 12 Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) assessments conducted by an independent third-party evaluation team were successfully passed.

Health officials also confirmed that the district's only suspected case of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) reported during the Eidul Azha period has tested negative.

According to the DHA, the recently concluded anti-polio campaign not only achieved its vaccination targets but also demonstrated effective virus containment.

Environmental surveillance samples collected from Safdarabad, Dhoke Dalal, Taxila and Sarai Kala were analysed for the presence of poliovirus, with all samples returning negative results.

Officials said the successful outcome provides independent confirmation of the campaign's effectiveness in reaching the targeted child population and preventing virus transmission.

The campaign's performance was further validated through third-party monitoring, under which all 12 Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) tests were passed. This marks the fourth consecutive anti-polio campaign in Rawalpindi to achieve a complete LQAS pass rate.

Meanwhile, laboratory testing of a 35-year-old woman from Thatta Khalil, Taxila, who was suspected of having contracted Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever following Eidul Azha, confirmed that she was not infected with the virus.

Separately, the authority has intensified medical surveillance and healthcare services in Fauji Colony, a densely populated locality inhabited by families originating from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan. A fully equipped mobile healthcare unit operating under the "Clinic on Wheels" programme has been deployed in the area.

The unit includes specialist doctors, technical staff, laboratory equipment and essential medicines. It will remain stationed in the locality for several days, providing medical examinations, laboratory testing, blood screening and free medicines to residents.

District Health Officer (Preventive Services) Dr Hafiz Jawad Ahmed described the anti-polio campaign as exceptionally successful and said future campaigns would continue to build on the same model of effective planning and intensive field operations.

He added that 35 "Clinic on Wheels" units are currently operational across Rawalpindi district, helping to improve access to healthcare services and ensuring the provision of medical treatment to communities across the district.