ISLAMABAD: As part of the ongoing environmental surveillance exercise, the National Institute of Health’s Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication has confirmed the detection of poliovirus in samples collected from three provinces.

According to an official, environmental (sewage) samples collected from 14 districts were tested at the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health.

“The lab confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples of Multan, Bahawalpur, Lahore, D.G. Khan, Kasur, Dera Bugti, Lasbela, Quetta, Sibi, South Waziristan Lower, Charsadda and Swabi, while the samples from D.I. Khan and North Waziristan tested negative for poliovirus,” he said.

The polio programme has expanded its environmental surveillance sites from 65 in 2021 to 127 in 2025, the official said, explaining that its efficiency in detecting poliovirus in sewage and cases ensures no transmission goes unnoticed.

With the largest and most sensitive detection system, Pakistan’s polio surveillance is among the world’s best, he added. The programme is implementing a rigorous vaccination schedule to protect children from paralytic polio and interrupt virus transmission.

The next nationwide polio campaign is scheduled from April 21 to 27, aiming to vaccinate 45.4 million children under the age of five across the country.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2025