Poliovirus detected in 47 environmental samples across Pakistan

KARACHI: The presence of poliovirus has been confirmed in 47 environmental samples collected from various regions across Pakistan, raising alarm among health authorities.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme said in a press release on Saturday that 116 environmental samples were collected from 82 districts for testing in May. “Out of these samples, 69 tested negative with no poliovirus detected, while 47 samples tested positive.”

Laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples from 34 districts. The breakdown shows that the virus was detected in 14 districts of Sindh, eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six in Balochistan, and four in Punjab. Additionally, one district in Gilgit-Baltistan and the federal capital, Islamabad, also reported positive samples.

According to programme officials, the detection of poliovirus in 47 environmental samples across the country is a stark reminder that the virus continues to circulate in communities and poses a serious risk to children’s health.

They urged parents to remain vigilant and ensure their children receive repeated doses of the polio vaccine and complete their routine immunization schedules on time to stay protected against polio and other preventable diseases.

It is worth noting that type 1 wild poliovirus remains endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The World Health Organization (WHO), along with UNICEF and other key partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, continues to support the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to eliminate the virus and achieve polio-free status.

According to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, a rigorous vaccination schedule is being implemented to protect children from paralytic polio and interrupt virus transmission. “Thanks to high-quality campaigns since September 2024, polio cases and positive environmental samples nationwide are on the decline.”

However, reports of attacks on polio vaccination teams in both Afghanistan and Pakistan remain a challenge, especially in remote areas where parental refusal to vaccinate children is more common.

During the last two nationwide polio vaccination campaigns in Pakistan, at least four attacks were carried out on vaccination teams.

Just days before the nationwide anti-polio campaign in April, two polio workers were abducted in Dera Ismail Khan by gunmen who ambushed the vehicle transporting the team to a health facility.

In another incident the same month, two Levies Force officials were killed and another injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on security personnel assigned to protect a polio vaccination team in the Tiri area of Mastung.

Vaccine refusals are also reportedly on the rise. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal revealed in April that polio vaccinations were refused 85,000 times across Pakistan — with 34,000 refusals in Karachi alone and 27,000 of those recorded specifically in the city’s East District.

Records show that 15,000 of these refusals came from Urdu-speaking families, while 10,000 Pashto-speaking families also declined to vaccinate their children, Kamal said.