Polio virus detected in environmental samples from six Karachi districts

KARACHI: The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio has confirmed the presence of poliovirus in environmental samples collected from six districts of Karachi, raising fresh concerns over the continued circulation of the virus.

According to the National EOC, poliovirus was detected in environmental samples from Karachi Central, East, Keamari, Malir, South and West districts.

The virus had not been detected in environmental samples from these six Karachi districts during June. However, surveillance teams have now reported positive samples, indicating continued circulation of poliovirus in the city.

The National EOC also reported that an environmental sample collected from Kashmore district in Sindh tested positive for poliovirus in July.

Meanwhile, environmental surveillance has detected poliovirus in Chaman, Dera Bugti and Quetta in Balochistan, while samples from Bannu and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also tested positive.

In Punjab, poliovirus was detected in an environmental sample collected from Rawalpindi in July, according to the National EOC.

Health authorities rely on environmental surveillance, particularly wastewater sampling, to identify the circulation of poliovirus and assess the risk of transmission even when no human case has yet been reported.

The latest findings underscore the need for continued vaccination campaigns, effective surveillance and cooperation from communities to prevent the spread of the virus and protect children from polio.