• As robust poliovirus surveillance continues in Pakistan, 28 environmental (sewage) samples collected from 22 districts between February 21 and March 6, were tested at the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health during the past week.
  • The lab confirmed detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples of Chaman, Islamabad, South Waziristan Lower, South Waziristan Upper, Lahore, DG Khan, Badin, Dadu, Hyderabad, Jacobabad, Kambar, Karachi East, Karachi Central, Karachi Keamari, Karachi West, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sujawal, and Sukkur.
  • While the samples from Zhob, Sialkot, Multan, and Rahim Yar Khan were tested negative for poliovirus.
  • Pakistan’s polio surveillance is among the world’s best, with the largest and most sensitive detection system. The program has expanded its environmental surveillance sites from 65 in 2021 to 127 in 2025. Its efficiency in detecting poliovirus in sewage and cases ensures no transmission goes unnoticed, even in remote areas.
  • The Programme is implementing a rigorous vaccination schedule to protect children from paralytic polio and interrupt virus transmission. Thanks to high-quality campaigns since September 2024, polio cases nationwide have declined.
  • In February, a nationwide polio campaign vaccinated over 45 million children, alongside fIPV-OPV campaigns held in Karachi and Quetta blocks. Additionally, a targeted vaccination drive in 104 union councils—bordering Afghanistan or having Afghan refugee populations—was conducted in the last week of February, reaching over 0.67 million children to reduce the risk of cross-border and internal virus transmission.
  • The next nationwide campaign is scheduled from April 21 to 27, aiming to vaccinate 45.4 million children under the age of five across the country.
  • The Polio Programme urges all parents to get their children vaccinated against polio at every opportunity to keep them protected from this devastating disease.