The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme has reported the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 in 47 environmental samples collected from across the country in May, highlighting ongoing transmission in multiple regions.
Out of 116 sewage samples gathered from various districts for lab analysis, 69 tested negative while 47 confirmed the presence of the virus. These positive samples were traced to 34 districts nationwide—14 in Sindh, eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six in Balochistan, four in Punjab, and one each in Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan.
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“All 47 samples were confirmed to carry wild poliovirus type 1,” the programme stated, raising alarm over continued viral presence in the environment. Officials warned that the recurring detection of the virus, especially in urban wastewater systems, signals silent transmission, even in the absence of paralysis cases.
The programme urged parents to ensure that their children receive oral polio vaccines during every immunisation campaign, stressing that the virus poses a serious health risk.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is still classified as endemic, and health authorities emphasized the need for consistent immunisation efforts and community engagement to eliminate the virus.
