Poliovirus detected in environmental sample in Karachi

KARACHI: Poliovirus has been detected in an environmental sample in Sindh capital Karachi, ARY News reported on Thursday.

According to the Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health, poliovirus was detected in an environmental sample in Karachi for the first time in 2023. The sample was collected on May 15 from the Sohrab Goth area of the metropolis.

One case of poliovirus was reported in Pakistan this year.

Earlier in May, the health ministry’s spokesperson confirmed on Monday that poliovirus has been detected in two environmental samples in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) capital Peshawar.

Read more: Week-long anti-polio campaign kicks off in Balochistan

Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said in a statement that Pakistan and Afghanistan are making joint efforts to eliminate the poliovirus.

The virus was detected in sewage samples collected from Larama and Naray Khuwar, according to the Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health.

The health minister said that the genetic analysis revealed that the isolated viruses are linked to the virus cluster currently circulating in the neighbouring Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel emphasised the joint efforts of Pakistan and Afghanistan in eradicating polio, stating that both countries are determined to eliminate the disease.

He said that the authorities are taking all necessary steps to eliminate the disease and appealed to the nationals to mandatory administer the polio vaccines to their children.

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