Polio virus detected in Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi sewage samples

• Positive sewage samples amount to 115 in 2023.
• Specimen collected by Sohrab Goth, Karachi.
• The number of human polio cases remains at six.

ISLAMABAD: Three environmental (wastewater) samples have tested positive for the polio virus in three major cities, including Karachi, the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad has confirmed.

The news it quoted the officials as saying that the samples were collected in December 2023 and tested positive for wild polio virus type 1 (WPV1) in Karachi East, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

In East Karachi, the environmental sample was collected on December 13, 2023, from the Sohrab Goth environmental sample collection point, which is the 14th positive sample from the East Region District this year.

The previous 13 positive samples were collected in May, September, October, November and December, officials said, adding that the isolated virus is classified as YB3A complex and is 99.44% genetically related to the virus detected in an environmental sample in same area (i.e. Karachi East) on 13 November 2023.

In Islamabad, the environmental sample was collected on 12 December 2023, from the Sabzi Mandi environmental sampling site, making it the second positive sample from Islamabad District for 2023.

The previous positive sample was collected on December 11, 2023, officials said, adding that 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 December 6, 2023.

In Rawalpindi, the environmental sample was collected on 11 December 2023, from the Dock Dalal environmental sample collection site, which is the fourth positive sample from Rawalpindi District for 2023.

The previous three positive samples were collected on July 17, August 10 and October 2, 2023, officials said, adding that the isolated virus is classified as YB3A complex and is 99.6% genetically related to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Peshawar in December. 6, 2023.

These new detections bring the total number of positive environmental samples (wastewater) in Pakistan in 2023 to 115. Additionally, the number of human polio cases in Pakistan in 2023 remains at six.