In an alarming new report The poliovirus virus has been discovered in two cities of the Punjab province following the collection of environmental samples that were taken from twenty areas within the province,
According to reports that have been provided, positive samples of Poliovirus were found in Rawalpindi. Director of the Punjab Polio program Syeda Ramla confirmed the news and stated that it was established that the virus exists in the region.
“This could be dangerous for children living in the area,” she warned and added that the government will soon start an anti-polio campaign in the region.
In the morning of Tuesday health officials confirmed that poliovirus was present in the sewage samples taken from seven cities in Pakistan.
According to reports, poliovirus was discovered in sewage samples that were collected for testing in the four Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cities, Peshawar, Bannu, Nowshera, and Swat. Poliovirus strain WPV-1 was also observed in sewage samples from Rawalpindi, Lahore and the capital city of Islamabad according to sources.
The samples of sewage were taken in the last month from drains, sources told. “Poliovirus has been detected in 11 Pakistani cities in the year 2022,” sources stated.
Poliovirus was found in the sewage that was taken at Hanjal Noorbad in Bannu, the vegetable market in Islamabad, according to sources. Poliovirus was first detected in Islamabad in the year of 2018.
“Moreover, poliovirus detected in sewage collected from Multan Road in Lahore, Shaheen Muslim Town Peshawar, Mill Colony Nowshera, Saidu Sharif in Swat and Safdarabad of Rawalpindi,” sources reported.
The wild polio virus that has been found in seven cities is genetically linked to Bannu sources.
The Federal Government has revealed thirteen confirmed cases of polio in North Waziristan and one in Lakki Marwat, this year.
