Poliovirus detected in Bannu for 10th time

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad had confirmed detection of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in an environmental sample collected from Bannu in October 2022, officials said on Tuesday, adding that this was the 10th positive sample from Bannu this year.

The total number of positive environmental samples in 2022 was 32, an official of the NIH Islamabad told The News, adding that 22 positive environmental samples were detected from KP including 10 from Bannu, five each from Peshawar and Swat and one each from Nowshera and South Waziristan.

Similarly, eight positive samples from Punjab including three each from Lahore and Rawalpindi and one each from Bahawalpur and Sialkot have been detected so far while one positive sample each from Sindh (Landhi, Karachi) and Islamabad has also been detected this year. In 2021, 65 positive environmental samples were detected in the country.

Giving details of the new positive environmental sample, the official said the environmental sample was collected on October 3, 2022 from the Hinjil Noorabad site. This was the 10th positive sample from District Bannu in 2022. “The previous positive sample in the district was detected on September 27, 2022. The last Wild Poliovirus case from the district was reported in April 2020. The last polio campaign in the district was conducted from September 22 to 25 (mop-up in 9 UCs)”, he said, adding that October’s polio campaign in the district started on Tuesday. The genetic sequencing results show that the detected virus (new positive sample) is linked to a case reported from North Waziristan.