Chasing polio: Karachi under the radar
Sewage samples collected from Peshawar did not contain traces of the virus in the month of April this year.
“The presence of poliovirus at any site poses a big threat to all the children in the area who have a weak immune system,” said a senior official working for the Polio Eradication Programme. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Environmental samples collected from high-risk areas in 11 major cities of the country indicated on Tuesday the presence of poliovirus in the sewage water of Karachi and Lahore.
However, startlingly for the first time in the history of Pakistan, sewage samples collected from Peshawar –a transport hub for poliovirus to the tribal areas and Karachi – did not contain traces of the virus in the month of April this year, revealed a report compiled by the Polio Virology Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, Chak Shehzad.
Since January 10 this year to April 10, wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in environmental samples taken from Peshawar. However, all samples tested later in the month of April returned negative, according to the report.
“The presence of poliovirus at any site poses a big threat to all the children in the area who have a weak immune system,” said a senior official working for the Polio Eradication Programme who requested anonymity.
The official added that these environmental samples are collected from high-risk areas in 11 cities of Pakistan every month.
While none of the samples from Peshawar tested positive for polio in the current spell, the official said that the mass movement of population from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) where polio incidence is at an all-time high could result in a positive sample test next month.
The official said that majority of the samples were collected from areas which have Pakhtun migrants from Fata, and include families whose children have not been vaccinated.
“There is a need to administer polio drops to each and every child coming from Fata or Peshawar by improving the quality of anti-polio drives and making the in-charge of the area accountable for poor performance,” said the official.
Since January 20 to April 5 this year, all sewage samples collected from Lahore tested negative. However, Tuesday’s report revealed that environmental samples collected from three sites of the Main Outfall pumping station in Lahore tested positive for WPV1.
The official said the presence of poliovirus in the sewage water of Lahore clearly indicates its existence in the city and how it could be a threat to children there.
“So far, this year no polio case has been reported from Punjab but the presence of polio virus can become its source,” said the official.
Meanwhile, samples collected from Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gadap Town, Machar Colony and Khameso Goth of Karachi tested positive for WPV1 according to the report. From March 7 this year and onwards, the virus has been detected in the sewage water collected from different areas of Karachi.
“It seems like Karachi is becoming a second Peshawar or North Waziristan in terms of the polio cases found from there,” the official said. “This presence of poliovirus poses more of a threat for the children who are not immunised against the crippling disease.”
The official said that the presence of poliovirus in the sewage water in these areas clearly indicates low coverage of routine immunisation along with the low quality of anti-polio drives. Positive sample tests pinpoint loopholes in the implementation of the National Polio Eradication Programme at a district level, said the official.
WHO Acting Country Representative in Pakistan Dr Nima Saeed Abid said, “We should be careful and cannot be too happy with these reports of negative samples from the known reservoir areas such as Peshawar, Gadap and Quetta. There is a continuous need to focus on good performance”.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 14th, 2014.
Environmental samples collected from high-risk areas in 11 major cities of the country indicated on Tuesday the presence of poliovirus in the sewage water of Karachi and Lahore.
However, startlingly for the first time in the history of Pakistan, sewage samples collected from Peshawar –a transport hub for poliovirus to the tribal areas and Karachi – did not contain traces of the virus in the month of April this year, revealed a report compiled by the Polio Virology Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, Chak Shehzad.
Since January 10 this year to April 10, wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in environmental samples taken from Peshawar. However, all samples tested later in the month of April returned negative, according to the report.
“The presence of poliovirus at any site poses a big threat to all the children in the area who have a weak immune system,” said a senior official working for the Polio Eradication Programme who requested anonymity.
The official added that these environmental samples are collected from high-risk areas in 11 cities of Pakistan every month.
While none of the samples from Peshawar tested positive for polio in the current spell, the official said that the mass movement of population from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) where polio incidence is at an all-time high could result in a positive sample test next month.
The official said that majority of the samples were collected from areas which have Pakhtun migrants from Fata, and include families whose children have not been vaccinated.
“There is a need to administer polio drops to each and every child coming from Fata or Peshawar by improving the quality of anti-polio drives and making the in-charge of the area accountable for poor performance,” said the official.
Since January 20 to April 5 this year, all sewage samples collected from Lahore tested negative. However, Tuesday’s report revealed that environmental samples collected from three sites of the Main Outfall pumping station in Lahore tested positive for WPV1.
The official said the presence of poliovirus in the sewage water of Lahore clearly indicates its existence in the city and how it could be a threat to children there.
“So far, this year no polio case has been reported from Punjab but the presence of polio virus can become its source,” said the official.
Meanwhile, samples collected from Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gadap Town, Machar Colony and Khameso Goth of Karachi tested positive for WPV1 according to the report. From March 7 this year and onwards, the virus has been detected in the sewage water collected from different areas of Karachi.
“It seems like Karachi is becoming a second Peshawar or North Waziristan in terms of the polio cases found from there,” the official said. “This presence of poliovirus poses more of a threat for the children who are not immunised against the crippling disease.”
The official said that the presence of poliovirus in the sewage water in these areas clearly indicates low coverage of routine immunisation along with the low quality of anti-polio drives. Positive sample tests pinpoint loopholes in the implementation of the National Polio Eradication Programme at a district level, said the official.
WHO Acting Country Representative in Pakistan Dr Nima Saeed Abid said, “We should be careful and cannot be too happy with these reports of negative samples from the known reservoir areas such as Peshawar, Gadap and Quetta. There is a continuous need to focus on good performance”.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 14th, 2014.