Afghan polio virus detected in Rawalpindi environmental sample

ISLAMABAD: Another environmental sample collected from Rawalpindi has tested positive for wild polio virus type 1 (WPV1) – genetically linked to virus cluster circulating in Afghan province Nangarhar, officials in polio eradication initiative said on Wednesday.

This is the second positive sample from Rawalpindi this year and the isolated virus is genetically linked to the virus cluster circulating in Nangarhar province of neighbouring Afghanistan.

Officials said Pakistan’s National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the detection of Type-1 Wild polio virus (WPV1) in an environmental (sewage) sample collected from District Rawalpindi in August 2023. The environmental (sewage) sample was collected on August 10, 2023 from the Safdarabad environmental sample collection site. Previous positive sample was collected on July 17, 2023 from the Serae Kala site.

“The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 98.56 percent genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Jalalabad (Nangarhar), Afghanistan on January 01, 2023,” polio eradication initiative official added.

This new detection takes the total number of positive environmental (sewage) samples in Pakistan in 2023 to 16 while the number of Polio cases in Pakistan in 2023 remains two.

Commenting on the situation, Caretaker Federal Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan said, “The best way to protect children from the debilitating polio virus is the polio vaccination. Parents and caregivers must ensure that their children receive multiple doses of the vaccine.”

Dr Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, said the Pakistan Polio Programme is maintaining a highly sensitive polio surveillance network, which is evident from the swift detection of the virus in the environment.

“We are holding frequent vaccination campaigns in the country and are also working closely with the Polio Programme in Afghanistan to strengthen vaccination at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to mitigate the risk of spread,” he said.