Islamabad, Jan 18 (IANS) Poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples from 40 districts across Pakistan, according to test results from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health.
In a statement issued this week, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program said environmental samples were collected in December 2025 from multiple locations nationwide, confirming the presence of poliovirus in several areas, reports Xinhua news agency.
“A total of 127 environmental samples were collected from 87 districts during this period. Of these, 40 samples tested positive for poliovirus, while 87 were declared negative,” the statement said.
The statement noted that while the continued detection of poliovirus in sewage remains a concern, overall trends show a decline in virus circulation compared to previous years, reflecting the impact of sustained vaccination and surveillance efforts.
According to the program, Pakistan reported 31 poliovirus cases in 2025, a significant drop from 74 cases recorded in 2024.
The next nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to be held from February 2 to 8, 2026, aiming to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five across the country.
At the start of this year, local media reported that the Hyderabad region of Pakistan’s Sindh has not been able to achieve polio-free status in 2025, with over 12,000 children missing vaccination during the final nationwide campaign in 2025.
Continuous indifference by health department officials has once again affected efforts to eliminate polio from the district, according to official sources.
As many as 12,092 children aged below the age of five were left unvaccinated even after the last nationwide anti-polio campaign was conducted in 2025 amid the confirmed presence of the virus, Pakistan’s leading daily, The Express Tribune, reported.
Health officials said that Hyderabad reported the presence of poliovirus for the 11th consecutive time in 2025. Based on environmental sewage samples collected in Pakistan, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, revealed that Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in Hyderabad during November, similar to several other cities across the country.
According to the report, the persistent presence of the poliovirus poses a threat to the health of children and parents were asked to remain vigilant and ensure repeated doses of the polio vaccine for their children and complete immunisation schedules on time to protect them from polio and other preventable diseases.
–IANS
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