Poliovirus found in samples from 14 sites

ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the detection of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in 14 environmental (sewage) samples collected in December 2023 which include three from Peshawar; two each from Hyderabad and Karachi East; and one each from Karachi Keamari, Karachi Central, Karachi West, Sukkur, Kohat, Quetta, and Islamabad, officials said on Monday.

Giving details, officials said in Peshawar, the environmental sample was collected on 6th December, 2023 from the ‘Hayatabad 1 & 2 Tributary’ environmental sample collection site, which is the 27th positive sample from district Peshawar this year. The previous 26 positive samples were collected on 10th April, 9th May, 16th May, 5th June, 4th July, 17th July, 1st August, 17th August, 22nd August, 5th September, 12th September, 20th September, 4th October, 5th October, 23rd October, 6th November, 7th November, 20th November, and 4th December, 2023. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 98.78 percent genetically linked to the virus detected in a polio case in Nangarhar (Afghanistan) on 8th May, 2023.

Poliovirus was also found in on 6th December from the ‘Yousafabad & Tajabad Tributary’ environmental sample collection site and ‘Gulababad & Chungee Tributary’ environmental sample collection site. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 98.67 percent genetically linked to the virus detected in a polio case in Nangarhar (Afghanistan) on 8th May 2023.

In Kohat, environmental sample was collected on 13th December from the ’Faqirabad’ environmental sample collection site, which is the 3rd positive sample from district Kohat this year. The previous two positive samples were collected on 20th October and 14th November 2023. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 99.89 percent genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Karachi East Gadap on 13th November.

In Karachi East, the environmental sample was collected on 11th December from the ‘’Machar Colony” environmental sample collection site, which is the 12th positive sample from District East this year. The previous eleven positive samples were collected on 15th May, 12th September, 26th Sep, 10th October, and 12th October, 13th November, and 15th November 2023. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 99.4% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Karachi East Gadap on 15th November, 2023.

Poliovirus was also found from the ’Rashid Minhas’ environmental sample collection site in District East, which is the 13th positive sample from District East this year. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 99.6 percent genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Karachi Central (Liaquatabad) on 7th September.

Poliovirus was also found in Karachi Keamari’s ‘Muhammad Khan Colony’, ‘Haji Mureed Goth’ environmental sample collection site in District Central Karachi, Khamiso Goth ES site in District West of Karachi.

In Hyderabad, poliovirus was found from the ‘Jacob Pump Station’ environmental sample collection site and Latifabad-9 Pumping Station ES site while in poliovirus was found from Maka Pumping Station site.

In Quetta, poliovirus was found from Railway Pul site while in Islamabad, poliovirus was found from Jhangi Syedan environmental site. This is the first positive sample from District Islamabad this year.

The isolated virus is classified as YB3A cluster and 99.6 percent genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Peshawar on 7th November, 2023. These new detections took the total number of positive environmental (sewage) samples in Pakistan in 2023 to 112. Moreover, the number of human polio cases in Pakistan in 2023 remained six.