HYDERABAD  -  The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Erad­ication at the National Institute of Health, Islam­abad, has confirmed the presence of polio virus in 2 environmental samples taken earlier this month from as many pumping stations in the city.

According to the report, so far a total of 14 posi­tive samples have surfaced in Hyderabad since January, 2024. A sample collected on July 2 from Qadir pumping station in Qasimabad has been tested positive and it is classified as a YB3A-4B cluster. The sample is 99.77% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in Karachi East on May 14. Similarly, one more sam­ple taken from a pumping station in Latifabad unit 9 has also emerged positive.

It has been classified as YB3A-4B cluster and 99.89% genetically linked to the virus detected in a sample in Hyderabad on May 8. 

Earlier on July 19, a report of the lab had re­vealed that a sample collected from Tulsidas pumping station in City taluka on July 1 was also tested positive. According to the lab, 3 positive samples from the same 3 pumping stations have appeared positive for 3 consecutive months.

The health authorities had carried out a polio immunization campaign in Hyderabad earlier this month, targeting 315,398 children of up to five years of age. However, the campaign left out 21,411 children because more than 19,000 children were not available at homes while the remaining hap­pened to be the refusal cases.