Wild Poliovirus Found In Hangu Sewage Sample

News Desk

Islamabad:  Wild poliovirus has been detected in a sewage sample from the Hangu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health informed us that wild poliovirus type 1 was detected in an environmental sample collected from the Civil Hospital, Jani Chowk site, on May 9.

Earlier, a sample collected from this site had also tested positive for poliovirus in April. The detected virus belongs to a virus cluster that is in circulation in Nangarhar, Afghanistan.

“The presence of poliovirus in the environment means children’s health is at risk, and parents must ensure that their children are protected through vaccination,” said National Health Services Federal Minister Abdul Qadir Patel.

“Keep in mind that there is currently no treatment for polio and that only the vaccine provides lifetime immunity. All parents and guardians are urged to make sure that their children are receiving polio drops as a result of a vaccination push that is currently taking place in numerous Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa districts, especially in Hangu,” the Federal Minister further added.

National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication Coordinator Dr Shahzad Baig statedthat the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme was constantly on the hunt for the virus, and this detection highlights its efficiency.

“Our Polio Programme is well-prepared to stop poliovirus in its tracks wherever we find it,”Dr Shahzad said, adding that this detection would help the programme identify under-immunised populations and plan vaccination responses to boost immunity.

A subnational vaccination drive has already been underway in 22 districts of KP, including Hangu, since May 22 to vaccinate children under five against paralytic polio and will continue until May 26.

Pakistan has reported only one human case and seven environmental samples positive for wild poliovirus so far in 2023.