World News | Wild Poliovirus Detected in 3 More Pakistani Cities

Islamabad, Aug 25 (PTI) Pakistani authorities have detected the crippling poliovirus in the environmental samples in three more cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

According to the Ministry of Health, wild poliovirus was detected in the environmental samples of Peshawar, Bannu, and Lahore, Geo News reported.

Also Read | Wild Poliovirus Detected in Environmental Samples From Pakistan's Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces.

The officials also confirmed the detection of the virus in sewage samples taken from Rawalpindi, Sialkot, and Bahawalpur.

In August, poliovirus was detected in four cities of Punjab and two cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The poliovirus has been detected six times in samples taken from Bannu while in Peshawar and Lahore it was found twice.

Also Read | Imran Khan Gets Interim Bail From Pakistan Anti-Terrorism Court in Terrorism Case.

Despite the ongoing anti-polio vaccination drives, Pakistan has confirmed 14 wild polio-I cases so far this year.

Wild polio-I has been confirmed in 17 environmental samples taken, officials said, adding that the extent of the spread cannot be estimated due to relentless rains in Sindh and Balochistan.

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with its neighbour Afghanistan.

Attempts to eradicate the crippling disease in Pakistan have been seriously hampered by deadly targeting of vaccination teams in recent years by militants, who oppose the drives, claiming that the polio drops cause infertility.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)