RAWALPINDI, Dec 12 (APP): Two environmental samples collected from Rawalpindi district have tested positive for Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1). The positive samples were obtained from Dhok Dalal and Safdarabad.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), District Health Authority Rawalpindi, Dr. Ehsan Ghani confirmed the detection to APP and termed the positive environmental samples an alert for the district as well as the province, indicating continued circulation of the virus.
Despite the alert, Dr. Ghani said the district’s performance remains satisfactory, as more than 95 percent coverage was achieved during all recent vaccination campaigns, and the target of vaccinating over 750,000 children under five years of age has been fully met.
He highlighted that routine immunization has been further strengthened in 25 to 45 high-risk union councils, with vaccinators strictly instructed to ensure that no child from birth to two years of age remains unvaccinated.
“During the recent Measles-Rubella campaign, Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) drops were also administered to children aged from birth to five years across the district,” he said.
Responding to a question regarding the year’s last polio drive, Dr. Ghani informed that more than 4,500 teams will be deployed in the field to vaccinate approximately 800,000 children, starting from December 15 across the district.
Expressing optimism, the health chief said that due to the intensity of ongoing interventions, environmental samples are expected to turn negative in the coming month. He added that samples from another sensitive site, Taxila, have consistently remained negative.
Explaining the reasons behind the positive samples, Dr. Ghani said the risk remains high due to large-scale population movement and a daily turnover of four to six percent from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, southern Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and even within Punjab.
“People coming from these areas often settle temporarily anywhere in the district, and if any of them are carrying the virus, it can be shed and spread locally,” he added.
APP observed that the Dhok Dalal site, which had remained negative until October this year, has returned to positive status, while the Safdarabad site continues to remain critical, having tested positive nearly every month since May.
According to available details, the district remained stable during the first quarter of the current year; however, in May, WPV1 circulation became visibly evident.
The CEO Health maintained that all possible efforts are being made to turn the district polio-free.
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