HYDERABAD: Analysis report of sewage samples confirms the presence of poliovirus in Hyderabad which has most probably transferred to the city from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan or Gadap, Karachi, says District Health Officer Dr Ghulam Mustafa Abbasi.

The health official said at a press conference at his office on Monday the sewage samples collected from Tulsi Das Road pumping station on March 28 and May 6 and sent to Islamabad laboratory for analysis were found to be polio positive. The lab had issued a detailed report of the sample sent on March 28 while that of May 6 was awaited, he said.

According to the detailed report, the virus had actually originated somewhere else in the country as the report hinted at its possible transfer from Karachi’s Gadap area, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa or Gilgit-Baltistan, he said.

He said in answer to a question the sample of sewage was collected because the virus was found in human waste. The test analysis was quite effective as it could indicate even the presence of polio vaccine administered to children and disposed of in human waste, he said, adding that for nine months the samples’ findings remained negative in the district.

He was confident the anti-polio vaccination drive starting on June 9 would be made more effective. During the anti-measles campaign that ended on May 31, a total of 561,366 children were vaccinated while 20,770 children could not be covered who would be vaccinated through social mobilisation shortly, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2014