Pakistan’s National Polio Laboratory in Islamabad has found Type 1 wild poliovirus (WPV1) in environmental samples collected from Lahore, Bannu, Peshawar, and Swat.
Commenting on it, officials from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said, “This is the seventh positive environmental sample from Bannu, third from Peshawar and Lahore each, and second from Swat this year.”
The disease has reportedly crippled 17 children in the country, one of which died from complications. The officials added that all these polio cases were in North Waziristan and district Lakki Marwat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Furthermore, 10 positive environmental samples were detected last month, comprising five each from Punjab and KP, which took the number of positive environmental samples this year to 21, they said. Seven of these positive environmental samples were detected in Bannu, three each in Lahore and Peshawar each, two each in Rawalpindi and Swat, and one each in Islamabad, Nowshera, Bahawalpur, and Sialkot.
A monthly breakdown showed one positive environmental sample detected in April, two in May, one in June, seven in July, and 10 in August this year.
Conversely, 65 positive environmental samples were detected across the country last year, the officials said.
To curb the transmission of the poliovirus, an immediate response round (sub-national) was carried out in August. The extended outreach activities began on 5 September and are underway in Lahore, Bannu, Peshawar, and Swat.
In related news, Sindh and KP are also grappling with outbreaks of malaria and dengue fever brought on by the breeding of mosquitoes in the stagnant flood waters, in addition to several waterborne diseases in the flood-hit areas.
