Poliovirus confirmed in environmental samples of 12 districts

ISLAMABAD:The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication has confirmed presence of polio virus in sewerage lines in 12 districts of three provinces.

The samples were collected from sewage lines between February 17 to 26, and the results revealed the presence of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 in several districts.

Sewerage samples found positive in Punjab’s five districts, Baluchistan’s four and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s three districts.

In Punjab, Lahore, Multan, Kasur, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan districts had polio-positive sewage.

In Baluchistan, Quetta, Sibi, Dera Bugti and Lasbela and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, South Waziristan, Charsadda and Swabi, were found to have polio-positive sewage.

The sewerage samples were collected from 127 places across the country for polio virus testing.

Pakistan has reported six polio cases this year out of which four reported from Sindh, one each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

74 polio cases recorded in 2024, the previous year. Of them, one each came from Punjab and Islamabad, while 27 came from Baluchistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 23 from Sindh.