Type-1 wild poliovirus detected in four new districts

ISLAMABAD: The total count of polio-infected districts in the country for 2024 rises to 38 as Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) has been identified at 18 locations, including four new districts -- Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Swabi, and Swat, confirms the regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad.

In Bannu, the positive sample was collected on April 24 from the Hinjal-Noorabad site, marking the first case in the district this year. The virus belongs to the YB3A cluster and is genetically linked by 99.77pc to the virus detected in Pishin on April 1.

Similarly, in Lakki Marwat, the sample was collected on April 22 from the Tube Well Gali collection site, marking the first positive case in the district for the year. In Swabi, the sample was collected on April 18 from the Shah Mansoor & Kala Pull Badray site.

In Swat, the sample collected on April 25 from Saidu Sharif is genetically linked by 99.77pc to the virus detected in Swabi on April 18.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed optimism that the government, in collaboration with global partners and national institutions, would soon eliminate polio from Pakistan.

The PM said this in a meeting with a delegation of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) led by Dr. Christopher Elias, Chair of the Polio Oversight Board and President of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Development Division, reiterating the government's commitment to get rid of this crippling disease.

He also directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to launch a joint polio awareness campaign in collaboration with the GPEI.