14 environmental samples come back positive for polio virus across Pakistan

• Samples were collected from 7 cities across Pakistan.
• The new detections bring the tally of positive samples to 112.
• The samples were Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

Islamabad: As many as 14 environmental (sewage) samples of wild polio virus Type 1 (WPV1) collected from seven cities including Karachi in October tested positive for the disease, the National Institute of Health Islamabad confirmed on Monday.

According The newsthree samples were collected from Peshawar, two each from Hyderabad and Karachi East District and one each from Karachi Keamari, Karachi Central, Karachi West, Sukkur, Kohat, Quetta and Islamabad.

Giving details, officials in Peshawar said, the environmental sample was collected on December 6, 2023, from the Hayatabad 1 and 2 Tributary environmental sample collection site, which is the 27th positive sample from Peshawar district this year.

The previous 26 positive samples were collected on April 10, May 9, May 16, June 5, July 4, July 17, August 1, August 17, August 22, September 5, September 12, September 20, October 4, October 5, 23 October, November 6, November 7, November 20 and December 4, 2023. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A complex and is 98.78% genetically related to the virus detected in a case of polio in Nangarhar (Afghanistan) on May 8, 2023.

Poliovirus was also detected on 6 December from the Yousafabad and Tajabad Tributary environmental sampling site and the Gulababad and Chungee Tributary environmental sampling site. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A complex and is 98.67% genetically related to the virus detected in a case of polio in Nangarhar (Afghanistan) on May 8, 2023.

In Kohat, the environmental sample was collected on December 13 from the Faqirabad environmental sample collection site, which is the third positive sample from Kohat district this year. The two previous positive samples were collected on 20 October and 14 November 2023. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A complex and is 99.89% genetically related to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Karachi East Gadap on 13 November.

In Karachi East, the environmental sample was collected on December 11 from the Machar Colony environmental sample collection site, which is the 12th positive sample from District East this year. The previous 11 positive samples were collected on May 15, September 12, September 26, October 10 and October 12, November 13 and November 15, 2023. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A complex and is 99.4% genetically related to the virus detected in a environmental sample at Karachi East Gadap on November 15, 2023.

Polio virus was also found from the Rashid Minhas environmental sample collection site in the Eastern Region, which is the 13th positive sample from the Eastern Region this year. The isolated virus is classified as YB3A complex and is 99.6% genetically related to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Karachi Central (Liaquatabad) on 7 September.

Polio virus was also found in Karachi’s Muhammad Khan Colony Keamari, Haji Mureed Goth Environmental Sample Collection Area in Central Karachi District, Khamiso Goth ES District in West Karachi District.

In Hyderabad, poliovirus was recovered from the Jacob Pump Station environmental sampling site and Latifabad-9 Pump Station ES site, while in the polio site it was recovered from the Maka Pumping Station site.

In Quetta, polio virus was found from Railway Pul site, while in Islamabad, polio virus was found from Jhangi Syedan ​​environmental site. This is the first positive sample from Islamabad District this year.

The isolated virus is classified as YB3A complex and is 99.6% genetically related to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Peshawar on 7 November 2023.

These new detections brought the total number of positive environmental (wastewater) samples in Pakistan in 2023 to 112. Additionally, the number of human polio cases in Pakistan in 2023 remained at six.