ISLAMABAD: Two more cases of poliovirus have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat districts. So far this year, 45 cases of the crippling disease have been reported from across the country.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication in Islamabad has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases. The victims include a 34-month-old girl in Lakki Marwat and a two-year-old child in D.I. Khan.

The genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is und­erway, a lab official said.

The cases have been reported at a time when a nationwide vaccination campaign is ongoing to immunise over 45 million children under five years.

Both districts had previously reported one case of poliovirus each. Environmental samples collected from these areas have also tested positive for the presence of the virus, as per the official.

So far, 22 polio cases have been reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, nine from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

In light of the rising number of cases, the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments have deci­ded to form a joint strategy for eradicating the virus.

Other than the reported case, WPV1 has been detected in 76 districts from all four provinces and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, indicating widespread circulation of the virus and a continued serious risk to children’s well-being, according to officials.

Earlier on Friday, the testing of environmental samples showed that the poliovirus had reached two new districts, Noshki, Balochistan, and Mian­wali, Punjab, which had so far remained unaffected by the virus.

According to experts, a sewage water sample ta­­k­en from an area is the basic parameter to determine if polio vaccination campaigns are being carried out successfully. The presence of the virus in sewage water also shows that the immunity level of local children has fallen, and they are at risk of the disease.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2024