ISLAMABAD: Sewage samples from two areas in Balochistan and one district in Sindh have been found to contain wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).
WPV1 was discovered in sewage samples taken from Quetta, Chaman, and Hyderabad, according to the National Institute of Health.
The virus found in these positive samples is genetically connected to the imported WPV1 YB3A genomic cluster. This cluster was resurrected through cross-border transmission last year after going extinct from Pakistan in 2021. It continued to circulate in Afghanistan. This virus is responsible for all positive tests and the two reported cases of polio this year.
This year, the WPV1 has been discovered in 38 districts thus far.
The Pakistan Polio Programme has reportedly carried out four polio vaccination campaigns, including two statewide programs that in January and February immunized approximately 43 million children under the age of five, according to a statement from the National Institute of Health.
The first week of June is set aside for the upcoming campaign.
The samples were taken from Tulsidas Pumping Station in Hyderabad. The same spot produced favorable results for the five samples that came before it.
The Army Kaziba location is where the Chaman sample was obtained. From the Chaman district, this was the ninth positive sample of the year.
The sample was taken in Quetta at the Railway Pul site, according to a National Institute of Health source, and it was the city’s 18th positive sample this year.
