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The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Sunday confirmed the detection of poliovirus from Lahore’s environmental samples for the second time this month.
According to the NIH, the poliovirus was detected in sewage water in the Multan Road area, on January 16 and in samples taken from Gulshan Ravi Lahore on January 2.
Experts say that environmental samples from Lahore currently contain polioviruses from South Waziristan and Nangarhar Afghanistan.
However, NIH said that no polio case has been reported in Pakistan, so far, this year.
The last poliovirus case from Lahore was reported in July 2020. However, the virus has been periodically detected in its sewage water. Last year, four environmental samples were found positive for the virus.
On Tuesday, Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel confirmed Pakistan’s first detection of the wild poliovirus in 2023 — found in an environmental sample in Lahore.
