• 11 new positive samples take this year’s nationwide total to 54
• Vaccination campaign planned from Oct 30

ISLAMABAD: A rise in positive environmental samples for polio has been detected across the country this month, with 11 new detections in seven cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Bannu, Pishin and Chaman.

Peshawar reported four positive samples and Karachi two, whereas the remaining five cities detected one positive sample each.

The recent spike brings the tally of positive environmental samples in the country to 54 this year. The number of confirmed human polio cases stands at four.

A document seen by Dawn reveals specific genetic links between several samples and prior detections. For instance, a sample collected from Karachi’s Keamari area (Orangi Nala) on Oct 3 is genetically connected to one found in Karachi East (Machar Colony) on Aug 17.

Another sample collected from Karachi Central’s Haji Mureed Goth shares its genetic lineage with a sample detected in the same district on Sept 7.

Two recent positive samples collected from Peshawar’s Naray Khuwar and Yousafabad areas can be traced back to detections in Lahore (Multan Road) from Sept 26. Another two samples collected from Hayatabad and Gulabad areas were genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Lahore (Outfall) on Aug 15.

The sample collected from Bannu’s Hinjil Noorabad area was the second positive sample from Bannu district this year. It was genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in the same district on Sept 21.

The sample collected from Lahore’s Gulshan-i-Ravi neighbourhood was the sixth positive sample from Lahore district this year and was genetically linked to the one detected in the same district on Aug 15.

The document shows that the sample collected from Pishin’s area Turwa was also positive. It was the second positive sample from the Pishin district this year and was genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Afghanistan’s Kandahar city on May 21.

The sample collected from Chaman’s Army Kaziba site was also the second positive sample from Chaman district this year and it was genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Dera Bugti on Sept 18.

The only sample found positive from Quetta this year was collected from Surpul and was genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Dera Bugti on Sept 18.

The latest polio vaccination drives were conducted in Chaman and Killa Abdullah from Sept 25 to Oct 2, in south Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Oct 9 to 13, and in the rest of the country from Oct 2 to 8, the document shows. Moreover, an outbreak response campaign is planned from Oct 30 to Nov 5.

Explaining the implications of these results, a health ministry official said a sample was deemed “positive” when the polio virus is detected in sewage water.

“Samples of sewage water from the area are a basic parameter to determine the success of polio campaigns,” the official said, adding that the virus’s presence signifies reduced immunity in children of the area, making them vulnerable to this crippling disease.

Considering World Polio Day on Oct 24, there’s renewed emphasis on the importance of vaccination. At a related event on Sunday, Caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan said, “Children are our future, and the government of Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the disability-causing poliovirus does not threaten their wellbeing.”

Polio is a potent disease affecting mainly children under the age of 10. While there’s no cure, vaccination remains a vital shield. It’s pivotal for children under five to receive repeated immunisations, a strategy that has helped most nations get rid of the disease.

Published in Dawn, October 23th, 2023