ISLAMABAD: In a recent surveillance effort, 18 sewage samples collected from 15 districts across Pakistan have confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), intensifying the ongoing battle against the disease.

According to a statement by Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, the samples, tested at the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, revealed poliovirus in the regions of Pishin, Chaman, Quetta, Islamabad, Ghotki, Hyderabad, Kambar, Karachi West, Larkana, Karachi Keamari, and Sukkur. Notably, samples from Shaheed Benazirabad, Khyber, Peshawar, Multan, and Islamabad showed no trace of the virus.

To combat poliovirus transmission, the Polio Programme has been executing a comprehensive vaccination strategy. The first nationwide polio vaccination drive of 2025 successfully immunized over 45 million children, while a focused fIPV-OPV campaign in Karachi and the Quetta Division aims to provide nearly 1 million children with both injectable and oral vaccines.

The effort is part of the Big Catch-Up initiative by the Expanded Programme on Immunization, designed to reach children who have missed or received insufficient vaccinations against 12 preventable diseases.

Additionally, a targeted vaccination effort, set for February 24-28, plans to cover over 660,000 children in 104 union councils near the Afghan border or with Afghan refugee populations. This aims to mitigate the risks of cross-border and internal transmission.

Despite the continued presence of the virus in the environment, the number of reported polio cases in 2025 has declined to three, attributed to ongoing, high-quality vaccination campaigns since September 2024. Nevertheless, the Polio Programme stresses the importance of consistent vaccination to protect children globally as long as the virus persists.

Parents are strongly encouraged to ensure their children receive polio vaccines at every opportunity to safeguard them against potential outbreaks of this debilitating disease.