Pakistan: 73 UCs alerted amid polio threat

The Punjab Health Department declared on Wednesday 73 union councils in the provincial capital high-risk areas for wild poliovirus after a report issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, confirmed virus in Lahore. The sewer samples were collected from a drain on Outfall Road and sent to the NIH, Islamabad, for testing. Earlier, the environmental samples drawn during last three consecutive months from various parts of the city were found negative. “We have declared 73 union councils of Lahore high risk for wild poliovirus in the wake of the NIH report,” Punjab Health Director General Dr Zahid Pervaiz told Dawn. He said though Punjab did not report even a single case of polio this year, his department had declared 10 districts high risk for this disease to curtail it in a better way. “The department is going to launch a two-day anti-polio vaccine drive from May 5 in these districts including Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali, Multan and Toba Tek Singh,” he said. He said investigation was under way by experts of the health department to find out link of the genetic sequence of the virus strain in the wake of the report which confirmed presence of virus in Lahore.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1103388/73-ucs-alerted-amid-polio-threat