Poliovirus found in five environmental samples in four districts

ISLAMABAD: The regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad has confirmed 5 new detections of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) from the four previously infected districts including two from Karachi East and one each from Karachi Central, Quetta and Kohat.

In Karachi East, the environmental sample was collected on 14th May 2024 from the ‘Machar Colony’ environmental sample collection site, which 99.77% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Karachi South on 12th March 2024.

Another environmental sample in Karachi East was collected on 15th May 2024 from the ‘Rashid Minhas Road’ environmental sample collection site, which is 99.89% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Karachi Central on 15th February 2024.

In Karachi Central, the environmental sample was collected on 9th May 2024 from the ‘Haji Mureed Goth’ environmental sample collection site, which is 99.89% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in the same district i.e. Karachi Central on 15th February 2024.

In Quetta, the environmental sample was collected on 13th May 2024 from the ‘Tawoosabad’ environmental sample collection site, which is 99% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Chaman on 16th October 2023.

In Kohat, the environmental sample was collected on 14th May 2024 from the ‘Faqirabad’ environmental sample collection site, which is 99.44% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Peshawar on 6th December 2023.

With new detections, total number of ES isolations in 2024 has so far reached 153 in 39 infected districts. In entire 2023, there were 126 ES detections from 28 districts.