The polio virus may be rearing its head again in Rawalpindi's Nala Lai area, the provincial Health Department said on Saturday.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Health Dr Khalid Mehmood told DawnNews that the department has put Nala Lai on high alert after water samples from two areas — Safdarabad and Dhok Dalal — were taken and sent for testing.

"The World Health Organisation will confirm the presence of polio virus in the water," Dr Mehmood said. However, sources within the health department claimed that the presence of polio virus has already been confirmed in the area.

"The polio vaccine is the only way to save children from getting infected with the virus, which enters the body through the respiratory system," Dr Mehmood said.

The health department will carry out an anti-polio drive in the area from September 24 to September 27.

However, it has emerged that the department does not have any health workers and thus will be reaching out to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help in the anti-polio drive.