The presence of Wild poliovirus type 1 has been detected in the sewage samples collected from seven more districts of Pakistan between May 8 and May 23, 2025, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.
According to the Regional Polio Laboratory of the National Institute of Health (NIH), the presence of the virus has been confirmed in the samples collected in Gwadar, South Waziristan, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Larkana and Mirpurkhas.
However, the presence of the virus could not be confirmed in the samples collected in Lahore and Pishin.
Officials said a total of nine sewage samples were analysed as part of the environmental surveillance initiative to assess the spread of the virus in urban and rural settlements.
“Continuous detection of poliovirus in sewage points to the silent transmission of the virus in communities and reinforces the urgency of vaccination efforts,” an official from the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) said.
Despite extensive national campaigns, Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where the virus is still endemic.
This year alone, 12 poliovirus cases have been reported from across the country — six from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
On Friday, authorities reported the latest case in Bannu district, underscoring the need for a full vaccine coverage in the southern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Reporter: Babar Shahzad