2 more poliovirus cases detected in KP

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Two more cases of poliovirus have been detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, pushing up Pakistan’s tally for the current year to 45.

The fresh wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were confirmed in Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts, said the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication in Islamabad.

Amid a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting more than 45 million children under five years, the genetic sequencing of the samples was ongoing, said a lab official.

Dawn quoted the official as saying environmental samples collected from these areas had also tested positive for the presence of the virus.

During the current year, 22 polio cases have been found in Balochistan, 12 in Sindh, nine in KP and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.

Concerned at the situation, the federal and KP governments have agreed to devise a joint strategy for eradicating the crippling disease.

WPV1 has been detected in 76 districts across all provinces of Pakistan, as well as and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, indicating widespread circulation of the virus.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where the poliovirus still exists. Despite immunisation campaigns, polio cases have increased in Pakistan.

mud

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