Poliovirus detected in Karachi and Islamabad sewage samples

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has detected poliovirus in sewage samples taken from Karachi, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi. The NIH has detected poliovirus in three environmental (sewage) samples in major cities, including Karachi.

These samples tested positive for the poliovirus in three major cities of Pakistan. Hence, the officials collected these samples in December 2023 and tested positive for the Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in Karachi East, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi.

Poliovirus detected in Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi sewage samples

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Health officials collected the environmental sample on December 13, 2023, from the Sohrab Goth environmental sample collection site In Karachi East. It is the 14th positive sample from District East this year.

The authorities have collected earlier 13 positive samples in May, September, October, November, and December. The officials said the isolated virus is classified as a YB3A cluster and 99.44%. Also, they linked it genetically to the virus detected in an environmental sample in the same district (Karachi East) on Nov 13, 2023.

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Meanwhile, authorities collected the environmental sample on December 12, 2023, from the Sabzi Mandi environmental sample collection site in Islamabad. It makes it the second positive sample from District Islamabad for 2023.

The previous positive sample was collected on December 11, 2023. Hence, officials identified the isolated virus as a YB3A cluster. They also linked it 99.6% genetically to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Peshawar on December 6, 2023.

In Rawalpindi, the environmental sample was collected on Dec 11, 2023, from the Dhok Dalal environmental sample collection site. It is the fourth positive sample from District Rawalpindi for 2023.

However, according to Pakistani mainstream media, the new poliovirus-detected cases take the total number of positive environmental (sewage) samples in Pakistan in 2023 to 115. Moreover, there are so far six cases of human polio in Pakistan.