LAHORE: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has detected the presence of poliovirus in Lahore’s sewage water for the second time this month.
The virus was found in samples taken from the Multan Road neighbourhood on January 16 and in Gulshan Ravi on January 2.
Experts suspect that the poliovirus present in Lahore’s environmental samples originates from South Waziristan and Nangarhar in Afghanistan.
However, the NIH has reported no cases of polio in Pakistan thus far this year. Though the last case in Lahore was reported in July 2020, the virus has been periodically detected in sewage water.
In response, Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel has emphasised the importance of timely vaccination to protect children from the disease.
He also highlighted the cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the ongoing effort to eradicate polio.
