Poliovirus 'detected' in sewage samples from 20 districts across Pakistan

Poliovirus has been detected in sewage sample testing across Pakistan, ARY News reported on Sunday, citing the National Reference Laboratory.

According to details, the National Reference Laboratory has completed nationwide sewage sample testing.

Poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples from Islamabad and all four provinces, according to sources. A total of 28 sewage samples from 20 districts, including Islamabad, have tested positive for the crippling virus.

Sources revealed that the environmental samples collected from sewer lines tested positive for Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1). These environmental samples were taken between May 8 and June 17.

In Sindh, 14 sewage samples from 10 districts tested positive for polio. Three samples in Lahore also came back positive.

In Balochistan, samples from three districts—Mastung, Khuzdar, and Sibi—confirmed the presence of poliovirus.

Five samples from four districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also tested positive. Two samples from two locations in Islamabad were also confirmed positive.

In Azad Kashmir, one sample from district Mirpur tested positive for the poliovirus.

Read more: Pakistan reports over 60,000 anti-polio vaccine refusals in April 2025

In Sindh, Karachi East, West, South, Keamari, and Sukkur samples were polio-positive, as were samples from Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Qambar, Larkana, and Mirpurkhas.

Poliovirus was also detected in samples from Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Mansehra, and Upper South Waziristan.

Polio

Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.

The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Program on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities.

It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.