Pakistan: Poliovirus samples collected from Peshawar, Dera Bugti test positive

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], October 6 : The environmental samples collected from Peshawar city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Dera Bugti district in Balochistan in Pakistan have tested positive for wild poliovirus, ARY News reported on Friday.

As per the ARY News, the third case of the polio was detected in the Bannu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (KP) on Wednesday.

"Polio virus has been confirmed in an 18-month girl at UC Ghora in Bakakhel," report added.

Pakistan Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Monday launched a five-day anti-polio vaccination drive targeting around 44 million children across the country.

Four environmental samples from Peshawar and Karachi have tested positive for wild poliovirus 1 (WPV1), ARY News reported on Thursday quoting a health department official.

Earlier, Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, the samples were collected from neighbourhoods of Shaheen Muslim Town and Naray Khuwar, Peshawar and Keamari, Karachi in the month of August.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization in a recent report said that the risk of the international spread of poliovirus still remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). There are no travel restrictions in Pakistan as of now.

The risk of the international spread of Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Africa is based on many factors.

Adding to this, the committee noted the large pool of unvaccinated 'zero dose' children in southern Afghanistan constitutes an ongoing risk of WPV1 re-introduction into the southern region.

"Sub-optimal immunization coverage was achieved during campaigns in southeastern Africa, in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, meaning there may be insufficient population immunity to halt transmission," the report added.

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