- Poliovirus not detected in samples of Pishin, Lahore.
- In total, nine wastewater samples taken from nine districts.
- Samples were taken between May 8 and 23.
Karachi: The Pakistani polio eradication program has confirmed the presence of poliovirus in environmental samples taken from seven districts of Pakistan.
The presence of the virus was confirmed in environmental samples of Gwadar, Quetta, South Waziristan (lower) and southern Waziristan (upper). In addition, poliovirus has also been detected in environmental samples taken from Rawalpindi, Larkana and Mirpurkhas.
In a new positive, the environmental samples taken from Pishin and Lahore have been declared exempt from the poliovirus by the polio eradication program, the public organization fighting to end the paralyzing disease of the country.
According to the anti-Poliovirus organization, a total of nine wastewater samples have been taken from nine districts of Pakistan between May 8 and 23 as part of environmental surveillance efforts.
The emergency operations center (EOC) on June 16, said the rate of vaccination refusal was up in Karachi, with at least 37,711 parents refusing the polio vaccine in May.
This marked an increase in cases of refusal while the parents of the port city continued to refuse the vaccination of their children against polio.
In April, 37,360 parents refused anti-political vaccination, according to the EOC.
The center said: “The refusal rate during the anti-political campaign remains a constant challenge. Polio eradication requires continuous parents’ support.”
Particular attention is paid to union councils which are at risk of polio. The misunderstandings and the lack of awareness are identified as the main reasons for the refusal of the vaccine.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus, mainly affecting children under the age of five. He can invade the nervous system, causing paralysis or even death. Although there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this disease.
Pakistan is one of the two political countries in the world, with Afghanistan, and the number of cases each year had dropped considerably in the country, until the recent point of cases.
So far this year, Pakistan has reported 6 cases of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4 of the Sindh, and 1 each of Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, after Pakistan reported its 12th Poliovirus affair of the Bannu of Kp on Friday.
Despite the progress of national campaigns, southern KP remains a challenge due to access problems and obstacles to home vaccination at home, leaving many non -vaccinated and vulnerable children.
In 2025, three national campaigns – held in February, April and May – reached more than 45 million children, supported by 400,000 front -line workers, including 225,000 female vaccinators, noted the regional reference laboratory for the eradication of polio to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Islamabad.
Last month, the Pakistani polio eradication program officially launched its third national campaign for immunization days (nests) in order to make Pakistan a nation without polio.
