Afghan poliovirus found in sewage samples from Peshawar, Pishin

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Polio Laboratory has confirmed the detection of Wild Poliovirus Type-1 in the sewage samples collected this month from Pishin, Balochistan and Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said an official of the Polio Eradication Initiative.

The official said one of the environmental samples was collected on September 05 from Naray Khuwar, Peshawar, adding it is the 11th positive sample detected from district Peshawar this year.

The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 99 percent genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Batikot (Nangarhar), Afghanistan on March 01, 2023, the official added.

He maintained that recent polio vaccination campaign in district Peshawar was conducted from August 07 to 13 this year. The next campaign in the district will be held from October 2 to October 08.

Similarly, the other sewage sample was collected on September 04 from the neighbourhood of Turwa, Pishin district of Balochistan. It is the first positive sample from Balochistan province this year, said the official.

The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 99.4 percent genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Kandahar (Afghanistan) on May 21, 2023, he said adding that the recent polio vaccination campaign in district Pishin was conducted from August 01 to August 08 this year.

The next campaign in the district will be conducted from October 2 to October 8.

These new detections take the tally of positive sewage samples in Pakistan this year to 24. Meanwhile, the number of polio cases in Pakistan remained two, which were reported from Bannu this year.