• As robust poliovirus surveillance continues in Pakistan, 56 environmental (sewage) samples collected from 44 districts between March 17 and April 9, 2025, were tested at the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health Islamabad.
  • Out of the total samples, 34 samples tested negative with no poliovirus found, while 22 samples tested positive. The trend shows a decline in positive samples and a reduction in virus circulation in many areas.
  • Positive Samples (22): The lab confirmed detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples of Chaman, Dera Bugti, Quetta, Lakki Marwat, Peshawar, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Jacobabad, Kambar, Karachi Central, Karachi East, Karachi Keamari, Karachi South, Karachi West, Larkana, Mirpur Khas, Sujawal, and Sukkur
  • ⁠Negative Samples (34): Samples collected from Mirpur, Gwadar, Pishin, Islamabad, Battagram, Bajour, Bannu, DI Khan, Hangu, Karak, Kohat, Khyber, Kurram, Lakki Marwat, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Swabi, South Waziristan Lower, South Waziristan Upper, DG Khan, Faisalabad, Multan, Okara, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Dadu, and Shaheed Benazirabad tested negative for poliovirus.
  • The Programme is implementing a rigorous vaccination schedule to protect children from paralytic polio and interrupt virus transmission. Thanks to high-quality campaigns since September 2024, polio cases nationwide have declined.
  • The second nationwide Polio campaign of the year is currently underway, from April 21 to 27, with the goal of vaccinating 45.4 million children under the age of five across Pakistan. This will be followed by another nationwide campaign from May 26 to June 1.
  • The Polio Programme urges all parents to vaccinate their children against polio every time the vaccine is offered. Repeated vaccination strengthens children’s immunity and protects them from the crippling poliovirus.
  • It is the prime responsibility of parents and community members to ensure that no child in their homes or neighbourhoods is left unvaccinated. Every missed child is at risk and can contribute to the continued spread of the poliovirus. Protecting children from polio is a shared duty and starts with timely vaccination.