LAHORE, Nov 12: Punjab, which was earlier likely to get polio-free status in 2014, has again turned out to be the high-risk province after sewage samples taken from a drain of Multan traced wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

Collected on Sept 24 from the drain in Alipur, Multan, the samples were sent to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, for analysis and the report issued on Tuesday declared it positive for the WPV1. The health department confirmed the presence of the virus in Multan.

Earlier, the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, had also confirmed that the WPV1 was found in a drain in Multan. The samples were sent to the CDC, Atlanta, to further verify the findings of the NIH reports.

A senior official, privy to the information, told Dawn that Multan was the ninth district of the province which had either reported polio virus in children or in sewage/drains. Rawalpindi was at the top among them from where the virus was traced for the last three consecutive months – July, August and September – from sewage. Lahore and Faisalabad were also among them which have been facing threats of polio virus, he said, adding that Punjab had reported only two polio cases last year and the number had reached six this year, so far.

The official said the sudden influx/importation of four polio virus cases in the province during last 45 days had captured attention of the health authorities as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef. He said four polio cases were reported in Punjab during the last one and half months. Of the total polio cases, two were reported in Toba Tek Singh and one each in Sheikhupura, Sahiwal, Mandi Bahauddin and Mianwali districts.

The official said genotype test of the polio case, surfaced in Sheikhupura, was linked to Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and same tests of other districts were still under process. After presence of the polio virus in Multan, the health department underlined children of 11 districts for immunisation, he said and added that a drive had been planned in these districts on Nov 18, Nov 28 and Dec 9.

WHO’s Chief of Polio Eradication in Pakistan Dr Elias Durry said “although final lab results of genetic sequencing of the recent polio cases in Punjab is awaited, we suspect that Multan polio virus may have paralysed the children in Toba Tek Singh and Sahiwal.”

Punjab Expanded Programme on Immunisation Director Dr Munir Ahmad told Dawn the government had identified six million children of 11 districts, including Okara, Jhang, Pakpattan, Muzaffargarh, Gojra and Khanewal, who were at risk of contracting the virus. These districts were marked on the basis of the presence of WPV1 in Multan.