Polio virus detected in wastewater in 12 cities of Pakistan – Pakistan

The extensive environmental monitoring set up by the polio eradication program in Pakistan detected poliovirus in the wastewater of twelve cities last month. According to a result shared by the National Center for Emergency Operations (NEOC), the presence of the virus was confirmed in samples of sewage collected in March 2019 in the cities of Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi. , Mardan, Bannu, Waziristan, Hyderabad, Kambar and Sukkour. Given the badociated risks, the country program urged parents to ensure the immunization of all children during each polio campaign.

According to the Prime Minister's spokesman for the polio eradication, Babar Bin Atta, "the country has the best opportunity to stop poliovirus transmission and it is time to strengthen our support for workers in polio. first line allowing them to touch and vaccinate all children ". He said: "The presence of the virus anywhere is a threat to vulnerable children. The continuous movement of the population to and from many of these cities also poses a real risk to children elsewhere. I can not stress enough the crucial importance of ensuring that every child is vaccinated during the next polio campaign in April. "

The second national polio immunization campaign in 2019 begins in Pakistan on April 22. During this campaign, 260,000 front-line workers will go door-to-door in all provinces and cities to ensure that more than 39 million children receive two drops of polio vaccine that will protect them from HIV. poliovirus.

According to the press release, wastewater samples are collected monthly from 59 sampling sites across the country. The selection criteria for the sample include population size, socio-economic status and a functioning sewer system. These samples are collected under the supervision of the relevant provincial health services and tested by the state-of-the-art Regional Reference Laboratory for Poliomyelitis, located at the National Institute of Health Islamabad. Genetic sequencing also guides the program in performing the required intervention activities.

The persistent circulation of poliovirus in a given area represents the existence of under-immunized children who forget to be routinely vaccinated and door-to-door campaigns against polio for whatever reason. These missed children pose a risk to themselves and to other children around them by eliminating the wastewater virus.