As Pakistan intensifies its fight against polio, recent environmental sampling has uncovered the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in several districts.

According to Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme report today, the samples were collected from 15 districts between January 24 and February 4 and tested at the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication.

The lab confirmed WPV1 in sewage samples from Pishin, Chaman, Quetta, Islamabad, Ghotki, Hyderabad, Kambar, Karachi West, Larkana, Karachi Keamari, and Sukkur. However, samples from Shaheed Benazirabad, Khyber, Peshawar, Multan, and Islamabad showed no traces of the virus.

In response, the Polio Programme is implementing a comprehensive vaccination schedule. The first nationwide polio campaign of 2025 successfully reached over 45 million children. Currently, a fIPV-OPV campaign is underway in Karachi and Quetta Division to vaccinate approximately one million children with both injectable and oral vaccines, enhancing their immunity.