A strain of wild poliovirus genetically similar to a strain found in Sindh, Pakistan, has been found in environmental sewage samples from two areas of Cairo, Egypt, according a World Health Organization (WHO) Global Alert and Response Feb. 11.

Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was isolated from sewage samples collected on 2 and 6 December 2012 in two areas of greater Cairo according to the WHO.

The isolates were detected through routine environmental surveillance in Egypt that involves regular testing of sewage water from multiple sites.

It is important to note, the virus has only been detected in sewage, there are no cases of polio reported from Egypt.

The Egyptian government implemented an outbreak response due to the discovery, which included supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) were conducted in the two areas of Cairo from where the environmental samples had been collected, reaching more than 155,000 children with trivalent oral polio vaccine (OPV).

Mass polio vaccination campaigns are planned across Cairo in March and nationally in April.

The WHO says that this event confirms ongoing international spread of a pathogen (WPV) slated for eradication. In addition, they assess the risk of further international spread of these virus strains from Pakistan as high.

Pakistan is one of three remaining polio endemic countries remaining on the globe, Nigeria and Afghanistan being the others.

Egypt stopped transmission of indigenous WPV, with its last case in May 2004.

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