Sewage samples collected from six already infected districts have tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

The Regional Reference Lab for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has notified that eight environmental samples collected between May 6 and May 14 from Karachi Keamari, Karachi Malir, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Hyderabad and Lahore contained WPV1.  

These positive samples were genetically linked to the imported YB3A WPV1 genetic cluster, like all other virus detections in the country this year. The YB3A virus cluster disappeared from Pakistan in 2021, remained in circulation in Afghanistan and was reintroduced through cross-border transmission last year.

So far this year, this virus has been found in sewage samples of 38 districts as well as in three cases reported from Dera Bugti, Chaman and Killa Abdullah.

The Pakistan Polio Programme is implementing an intense vaccination schedule this year to curb the spread of the virus. The Programme has already conducted four polio vaccination campaigns and will be launching the next drive from June 3, ahead of the high-travel season of Eid, to vaccinate over 16.6 million children under the age of five in 39 districts as well as select UCs of 29 other districts.

Polio is a devastating incurable disease that can leave a child paralyzed for life. The Pakistan Polio Programme urges all parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are vaccinated against it at every opportunity and have completed all routine vaccinations to protect them from 12 vaccine-preventable childhood diseases.  

Note:

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free, except for the two endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

For further information, please contact: Ms Hania Naeem, Communications Officer, NEOC,
Contact No:+923431101988
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