Polio Detected in Three Major Cities Across Pakistan Yet Again

Three environmental (sewage) samples from three major cities including Karachi have tested positive for the poliovirus, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

According to officials, samples taken in Karachi East, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi in December 2023 were positive for the Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1).

The environmental sample in Karachi East was obtained on December 13, 2023, at the Sohrab Goth collecting site. For District East, this is the fourteenth positive sample of the year.

The previous 13 positive tests in Karachi East, according to officials, were taken in May, September, October, November, and December. With a 99.44% genetic similarity to the virus discovered in an environmental sample from the same district, the isolated virus is characterized as a YB3A cluster.

On December 12, 2023, an environmental sample was taken in Islamabad at the Sabzi Mandi collecting site. This is District Islamabad’s second positive sample for 2023.

The prior positive sample in Islamabad was taken on December 11, 2023, according to officials. The isolated virus is categorized as a YB3A cluster and shares a 99.6% genetic relationship with the virus that was discovered in an environmental sample in Peshawar on December 6, 2023.

The environmental sample in Rawalpindi was collected on December 11, 2023, from the Dhok Dalal collection site. This makes it the fourth positive sample from District Rawalpindi for the year 2023.

The previous three positive samples in Rawalpindi were reportedly taken on July 17, August 10, and October 2, 2023, according to officials. The isolated virus is categorized as a YB3A cluster and is genetically linked by 99.6% to the virus found in an environmental sample in Peshawar on December 6, 2023.

The total number of positive environmental (sewage) samples in Pakistan for 2023 now stands at 115. Additionally, the recorded number of human polio cases in Pakistan for the same year remains at six.