ISLAMABAD: Wild polio­­virus type 1 (WPV1) has been detected in an environmental (sewage) sample from the Diamer district, the Regional Reference Labora­tory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed.

The special polio vaccination campaign was conducted in the Diamer district and adjoining districts of Khyber Pakhtun­khwa from July 14 to 18, vaccinating 159,525 children, an official said.

“The Polio Programme is implementing a rigorous vaccination schedule to protect children from paralytic polio and interrupt virus transmission,” the official added.

Further immunisation drives are scheduled for coming weeks.

A special vaccination campaign will be carried out from July 21 to 25 in the bordering Union Councils of KP and Balo­chistan to coincide with Afghanistan’s sub-natio­nal polio campaign.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2025