ISLAMABAD: Health authorities have detected poliovirus in 42 out of a total of 127 sewage samples collected from 87 districts nationwide, the country’s polio program said on Tuesday, amid a resurgence of polio cases in the South Asian country.
Polio is an infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. Protection requires every child under five to get repeated oral polio vaccine doses during each campaign and complete all essential immunizations on time.
Sample testing at the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s National Institute of Health confirmed 75 sewage samples as negative, while another 10 samples were being processed at the lab, according to the polio program.
One positive sample was reported from Balochistan, seven from KP, 12 from Punjab, 19 from Sindh and three from the capital city of Islamabad. Three samples in KP, four in Punjab along with one each in Islamabad, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, were under process.
“While the overall trend shows a decline in positive detections, reflecting the impact of high-quality campaigns, the virus continues to circulate in certain areas,” the polio program said on Tuesday.
