Poliovirus found in sewage samples of eight districts

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in environmental samples from eight districts.

Sewage samples from Kech, Sibi, Barkhan, Quetta, Gwadar, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, and South Waziristan Lower tested positive for WPV1, according to a lab official.

In response, the Prime Minister’s Health Coordinator, Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, emphasized the urgent need for collaboration between polio and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) teams to safeguard children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Dr. Bharath also recognized the commitment of provincial EPIs, Polio Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs), partner organizations (Gavi, WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, etc.), healthcare professionals, government agencies, and frontline workers in achieving immunization targets.

“This shared responsibility requires our full commitment, particularly at the provincial and district levels,” he stated.