ISLAMABAD: The Afghan strain of the poliovirus has been found in two environmental samples collected from Peshawar district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health has confirmed that wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been found in sewage samples collected from Naray Khuwar and Larama collection sites.

According to the lab, the isolated viruses are genetically linked to the virus cluster circulating in neighbouring Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel has said that as the only two endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan were united in their fight against polio and both countries will not rest until they eradicate it.

“The Pakistan Polio Programme is maintaining a robust surveillance system, which is evident from the prompt detections of the virus in sewage samples recently,” he said.

“We will continue to hunt and eliminate the virus wherever we find it to protect our children from a disability-causing disease.”

The minister added that poliovirus on any side of the border was a threat to children everywhere, and parents must continue to ensure that their children under five receive the life-saving polio drops in all campaigns.

Dr Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication, said Pakistan collects environmental samples from 114 sites in 80 districts every month to test for WPV1.

He added that the presence of the virus in the environment was a cause for concern but not unexpected since last month was the high-travel season of Eid.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2023