ISLAMABAD: As many as nine more environmental samples, collected from six districts, have been found positive for poliovirus, taking the nationwide tally to 64 this year.

According to an official of the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, nine sewage samples collected from six districts have been tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

“The virus was isolated from two environmental samples collected from Karachi South, two from Karachi East, two from Chaman, and one each from Kohat, Peshawar and Nowshera,” the official said.

He said that according to the genome sequencing, all isolated viruses belong to the YB3A poliovirus cluster which is circulating in Afghanistan.

Another nine samples found positive

“Samples of sewage water from the area are a basic parameter to determine the success of polio campaigns. Moreover, the presence of virus in sewage also shows that the immunity level of children in the area has fallen and they are at risk of catching the disease,” he added.

Expressing concern at the detection of the virus in sewage samples, Federal Minister for Health Dr Nadeem Jan said children under five were at great risk from poliovirus which can cause lifelong paralysis in vulnerable children.

“There is no cure for this disease; only the polio vaccine can provide continued protection,” he said.

“Parents and caregivers must understand the risk to their children’s wellbeing. Every time a polio vaccinator knocks on your door, welcome them in and make sure that your children receive two drops of this life-saving vaccine,” he said.

Dr Jan said the Pakistan Polio Programme’s polio surveillance was among the best in the world and those prompt detections highlighted its efficiency. “The Programme is well-prepared to deal with virus detection anywhere in the country and we are committed to eradicating this disease from our soil,” he added.

So far this year, four polio cases and 64 positive environmental samples have been reported from Pakistan. Last month, Dr Jan claimed that 90 per cent cases polio cases in Pakistan were imported from Afghanistan.

“Of the 34 samples that we have received, 90pc have come from Afghanistan … our own are even less than 10pc,” he said on Dawn News programme Doosra Rukh.

Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease caused by poliovirus, which mainly affects children under the age of five. The virus invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death in some cases.

There is no cure for polio, and only repeated vaccination is the most effective way to protect children. The polio vaccine has protected millions of children from the disease, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two endemic countries in the world.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2023