Poliovirus found in Karachi’s sewage line for first time in over a year

Karachi, Sep 11 (IANS) The Wild Poliovirus Type-1 was identified in an ecological example gathered from a sewage line in Karachi’s Landhi region in August, Pakistan’s National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, affirmed, Geo News revealed.

Authorities of the government service of National Health Services said this was the principal positive ecological example from Sindh this year.

Upwards of 11 positive instances of poliovirus have been accounted for in Pakistan during August alone, while the all out number of cases announced up until this point this year is 22. Of the 11 cases distinguished in August, five each were from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab while Sindh revealed one case.

The government service’s authorities said the ecological example that was found positive in Karachi was gathered on August 23 from the Bakhtawar town in the Landhi area of Karachi, Geo News announced.

“This is the primary positive ecological example from Karachi in 2022. The past certain example from Karachi was accounted for in May 2021. The last wild poliovirus case from the region was accounted for in June 2020. The new polio crusade in the region was led from August 15-21,” an authority said.

Thirteen positive ecological examples in 2022 have been gathered from KP, including seven from Bannu, three from Peshawar, two from Swat and one from Nowshera.

Seven positive examples have been gathered from Punjab, including three from Lahore, two from Rawalpindi, and one each from Bahawalpur and Sialkot. One certain example each has been gathered from Karachi and Islamabad.

Of these 22 positive examples, one was gathered in April, two in May, one in June, seven in July and 11 in August 2022, the authority said, adding that in 2021, 65 positive ecological examples were identified in the country.