ISLAMABAD: Pol­io­virus has been found in samples taken from two more districts of the country — Dera Ismail Khan and Bahawalpur — taking the number of infected districts to 42. Both areas had been free from the virus over the past few years.

Moreover, 15 environm­e­­ntal samples have been fo­­­und positive, taking the tal­ly of positive samples this year to 168.

According to the Nati­onal Institute of Health (NIH), 15 new detections of the Type-1 Wild Poliov­irus (WPV1) have been confirmed.

“Last year, there were 126 environmental sample isolation from 28 districts,” an official of the lab said, wishing not to be quoted.

He said the samples fou­nd positive were collected from D.I. Khan, Bahawa­lpur, Mirpur Khas, Kara­chi South, Karachi East, Karachi Korangi, Lakki Marwat, Peshawar, Usta Muhammad, Cham­­an, Quetta and Mastung.

Officials blamed poor performance of a partner-led programme over the last two seasons — 2022-23 and 2023-24 — resulting in a wide immunity gap fav­ouring the current spread of the virus.

According to Pakistan Polio Eradi­cation Prog­ramme, samples contained the virus that was genetically linked to the imported YB3A genetic cluster, like all other detections in the country this year.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...
Rushed legislation
Updated 06 Nov, 2024

Rushed legislation

For all its stress on "supremacy of parliament", the ruling coalition has wasted no opportunity to reiterate where its allegiances truly lie.
Jail reform policy
06 Nov, 2024

Jail reform policy

THE state is making a fresh attempt to improve conditions in Pakistan’s penitentiaries by developing a national...
BISP overhaul
06 Nov, 2024

BISP overhaul

IT has emerged that the spouses of over 28,500 Sindh government employees have been illicitly benefiting from BISP....