ISLAMABAD: Poliovirus traces have been gathered from sewage samples in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Wednesday, bringing the tally of total positive environmental specimens found this year to 17.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries worldwide where polio remains a looming threat to the health and well-being of children. There have been only two confirmed cases of polio in Pakistan this year, which authorities say signals progress in the polio endgame, although positive environmental samples are still being detected.
This week, Pakistan’s caretaker health minister Dr. Nadeem Jan said he was formulating a strategy to curtail poliovirus transmission from Afghanistan, saying the disease would continue to pose a risk to Pakistan unless it was completely eradicated from the neighboring state.
“This is the third positive poliovirus sample from Lahore district this year,” the NIH said in a statement, adding that the sample bore a genetic resemblance to one detected in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province in May.
The last confirmed polio case from Lahore was in July 2020. In 2022, four environmental samples were found in the city, while three have been found to date this year.
Dr. Shahzad Baig, the coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), said the number of poliovirus samples showing genetic connections to Afghanistan was increasing but Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to eliminate polio had “effectively prevented the virus from spreading”.
“Our vigilant virus surveillance system has consistently been swift in identifying threats, and we have adopted a proactive and robust approach to all detections, prioritizing the health and safety of every child,” Baig said.
A polio vaccination drive was last held in Lahore between May 15 and 21, while a nationwide campaign is scheduled to start in the last week of September, the NIH said.
This month, Pakistan conducted a polio eradication campaign spanning 65 districts with the aim to vaccinate over eight million children under the age of five.
