Sewage water sample from Islamabad was not infected with poliovirus

Islamabad: The Centres for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA, has confirmed that the sewage sample collected from Islamabad on February 11 this year was not, after all, infected with poliovirus.
It may be recalled that the Polio Virology Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH) had indicated the presence of poliovirus in 1 of the 12 sewage samples collected for analysis from Islamabad during the period between January and February. The controversial sample which NIH claimed as infected with poliovirus, had been collected from the ‘sabzi-mandi’ (vegetable market) site in sector I-11.
The result was contested by the Directorate of Health Services of the Capital Development Authority, which expressed apprehensions about the sample collection methodology, and insisted that a fresh sample be collected and retested to ascertain the presence of poliovirus in 1 sample,
when all the other 11 were negative. A new sample was then collected and sent to CDC, Atlanta, for confirmation.
Dr. Hasan Orooj, the director of CDA’s Directorate of Health Services, heaved a sigh of relief when this scribe contacted him for confirmation of the news. “Yes, indeed. The waiting game is finally over, and all apprehensions about the presence of poliovirus in sewage samples of Islamabad have been put to rest by CDC Atlanta.” It may be recalled that back in February too, Dr. Orooj had expressed serious doubts about a positive sample suddenly emerging in the midst of persistently negative samples in Islamabad.
Dr. Orooj made mention of an official correspondence (titled Polio - RRL/ENV/15-097) from NIH wherein the result of the sewage sample is indicated as: SL3+NPEV (Sabine-Like + Non-Polio Entero Virus). Interpreting the result in simple language, Dr. Orooj maintained that it indicates the presence of polio vaccine in stool samples. “The presence of vaccine in sewage water means that the vaccine has been excreted in the stool of children who are very well-protected against polio,” he said.
While all inquisitiveness about the status of the sample collected from Islamabad has been put to rest, questions are now being raised about the authenticity of the results being delivered by the National Virology Laboratory for Polio, NIH. Given the laboratory’s important role in the region, it is time the government ordered scrutiny of its quality assurance mechanism to addresses gaps, if any. Strict adherence to protocols for sample collection must also be ensured so that the authenticity of procedures, as well as the larger international reputation of the laboratory itself, does not end up being compromised.