Newly-appointed interim Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan Wednesday confirmed that an environmental sample collected from Rawalpindi has returned positive, smashing hopes of a polio-free state by the end of 2023.

In view of the effective measures taken by Islamabad, the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (Unicef) Regional Director for South Asia, last year in December, hoped that the crippling disease will be eradicated from the country by the end of 2023.

Talking to journalists, the caretaker health minister said that it was the second positive sample detected in the city during the current year. In July, an environmental sample collected from Sarai Kullah had returned positive.

Hailing the services of polio workers and officials, he said that Pakistan has one of the most developed polio surveillance systems in the world.

The interim government is focusing on high-risk areas, Jan said, adding that they have devised a comprehensive strategy to eradicate the crippling virus from the country.

Speaking on the occasion, he sought parents’ cooperation in the battle against polio.