Poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples collected from 21 districts across the country between January 8 – 23, 2025, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.
The sources confirmed that the samples tested positive for Wild Poliovirus Type 1.
These sewage samples were collected from Muzaffarabad, Dera Bugti, Hub, Khuzdar, Noshki, Nasirabad, Usta Mohammad, Zhob, Lasbela, Islamabad, Charsadda, Peshawar, Swabi, Tank, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Jhang, Lahore, Multan, Rahimyar Khan, and Karachi East.
This development comes as Pakistan continues to grapple with the challenge of polio eradication, with 73 polio cases reported across the country in 2024 alone.
Earlier, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed the detection of the wild poliovirus case type 1 (WPV1) in the country.
Pakistan has been responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1 with 72 cases reported in 2024. Of these, 27 are from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
What is Polio?
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five are essential to provide children with high immunity against this terrible disease.
The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Program on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood diseases free of charge at health facilities.
The year’s first Polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to be conducted nationwide from February 3- 9, 2025.
It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.