Islamabad: In a concerning development, recent tests on sewage samples have confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in two previously uninfected districts, Attock and South Waziristan Lower, as well as 11 districts where the virus was previously found, signaling a persistent threat of polio to children in Pakistan.

According to Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, environmental samples taken between August 13 and 20 from Attock, South Waziristan Lower, and other affected areas including Tank, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Kambar, and various districts in Karachi, have tested positive for the virus. This year, WPV1 has impacted 16 children and has been detected in 64 districts across all four provinces of Pakistan and one district in Azad Jammu Kashmir.

In response to the ongoing outbreak, a significant polio vaccination campaign is set to commence on September 9, covering 115 districts and targeting 33 million children under the age of five. The Polio Programme emphasizes the importance of this initiative to bolster children’s immunity against the poliovirus.

Vaccinators will be visiting homes to administer the oral polio vaccine, and the Polio Programme urges all parents to cooperate by vaccinating their children. Given that polio is an incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis, repeated vaccinations are vital. These are available for free at government health facilities through the Expanded Programme on Immunization.