Pakistan detects poliovirus in 40 environmental samples in December

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 18 (ANI): As many as 40 environmental samples from all four provinces and the federal capital were found positive for the polio virus during the month of December, Dawn reported, citing an official of the polio laboratory located at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.
According to the NIH polio laboratory official, as many as 127 sewage samples from 87 districts were tested for the presence of poliovirus in December 2025. Of these, 87 samples tested negative, while 40 samples were found positive for poliovirus, the official said.
"As many as 23 samples were collected from Balochistan, of which 21 were found negative and two were found positive. A total of 34 samples were collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which 26 were negative and eight were found positive. From Punjab, 31 samples were collected, of which 25 were negative and six were positive. In Sindh, six samples were found negative and 23 were positive. In Islamabad, one out of five samples was found positive. However, five samples collected from Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) were found negative," the official said.
Replying to a query, the NIH official clarified that if poliovirus was detected in sewage, the sample was categorised as positive, while paralysis caused by the virus in a child was counted as a confirmed case. "A sewage water sample from an area is a basic parameter used to determine whether polio vaccination campaigns are being carried out successfully. After detection of positive samples, polio campaigns are immediately launched to eradicate the virus from the area," Dawn quoted the official as saying.
The official further underlined that a case can surface in any city due to population movement, but virus detection in sewage indicates gaps in vaccination coverage in that locality. "A polio case can be reported in any city due to the frequent movement of people from one city to another, but the presence of the virus in sewage water means that a vaccination campaign in the area did not meet its target. The presence of the virus in sewage water also indicates that the immunity level of local children has fallen and that they are at risk of the disease," he said.
According to a statement, in 2025 the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, led by the government of Pakistan, conducted six vaccination campaigns, including five nationwide and one subnational drive, reaching over 45 million children, Dawn reported.
It added that the first nationwide polio campaign of 2026 will be conducted from February 2 to 8 in all four provinces, PoJK, PoGB and Islamabad, with an aim to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five.
"To further strengthen immunity, the government of Pakistan continues to provide free routine immunisation services for all children up to two years of age. Together, routine immunisation and repeated polio vaccination provide the strongest and most reliable protection against polio and other preventable diseases.
Parents and caregivers are strongly urged to ensure that children under five receive polio drops during every vaccination campaign to protect them from lifelong disability," it stated. (ANI)