ISLAMABAD: The pre­sence of poliovirus has been confirmed in four districts, according to the Regional Reference Labo­ratory for Polio Eradi­ca­tion at the National Institute of Health.

Sewage samples collec­ted from Lakki Marwat, Khairpur, Tando Allah Yar and Tando Muham­mad Khan have tested positive for the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

These are the first positive sewage samples from Khairpur, Tando Allah Yar and Tando Muhammad Khan districts in 2024, an official of the lab said.

He said samples were counted in the tally of 2024 as they were collected before the year ended. The incubation period of the virus was around three weeks.

“Pakistan has been res­ponding to a significant re­­­surgence of WPV1, with 73 cases reported in 2024. Of these, 27 are from Ba­­lochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Islamabad,” he added.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic, with the disease mostly affecting children under five, and sometimes causing lifelong paralysis.

Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress.

The government has planned this year’s first nationwide polio vaccination campaign from February 3 to 9.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2025