Polio virus found in Lahore environmental samples

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the detection of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in a sample collected from Gulshan-e-Ravi, District Lahore, saying this is the first positive environmental sample from Pakistan this year.

A total of 37 positive environmental samples were detected from the country last year, officials said adding that the environmental sample was collected on 2nd January 2023 from the ‘Gulshan Ravi ES site’.

In 2022, four positive samples were detected from the district of Lahore (one positive sample in July 2022, two in August 2022 and one in November 2022). The last positive sample from the district was detected from the ‘Outfall Road Filling Station G’, in November 2022.

The last Wild Poliovirus case from the district was reported in July 2020. This site is draining in 28 UCs having a 1,072,635 population. The January NID campaign in the district is currently underway (16 – 22 January) while the genetic sequencing results are under process.