Surveillance of Wastewater Bodies from Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan for Poliovirus

Abstract

Poliomyelitis is a viral disease caused by the poliovirus (PV), globally. This virus is responsible for Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) in children in Pakistan. Due to this virus, thousands of children are paralyzed. This virus is transmitted through wastewater in a congested population. The target group of polioviruses comprises the children with no vaccination history. Different factors are involved which create hurdles in the process of vaccination. Some of them are false beliefs, as well as the lack of security for the vaccination team in different areas of Pakistan, especially in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) region. KPK is one of the few remaining regions in the world with a high rate of PV outbreaks. In KPK, District Bannu is among the districts with the highest number of cases of PV.