Poliovirus detected in Baghlan sewage water, vaccination starts

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok):  A three-day polio vaccination drive was launched in four districts of northern Baghlan province on Sunday, while health officials confirmed detecting polio virus in contaminated water in Pul-i-Khumri city.

Public Health Director Dr. Abdul Qahar Ahmadi told Pajhwok Afghan News the polio virus has been confirmed in a sample of dirty water taken from an area of ​​Pul-i-Khumri city.

“Polio virus has been found in sewage water in an area of Pul-i-Khumri city. It is possible that someone here may have the virus, but a campaign to eradicate it has been launched”: he added.

“A three-day polio vaccination campaign commenced today targeting 225,000 children under five years of age in Pul-i-Khumri city, Khanjan, Nahrain, Doshi, and Markazi Baghlan districts.

Meanwhile, Dr. Najibullah Zafarzai, \head of polio vaccination in the northeastern provinces, explained according to a sample taken from a stream in the center of Pul-i-Khumri city, the polio virus recorded in Kozan was similar to the virus found in Behsud district of Nangarhar.

On November, 2024, a polio virus was detected \in the Hada Akhundzada area of \Behsud district of Nangarhar province, which is similar to the virus recently found in Pul-i-Khumri. Children’s immunity against this virus must now be increased, Zafarzai added.

Six years ago, only one child in Pul-i-Khumri was infected with polio.

hz/ma