• In the past week, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in environmental samples collected from 14 already infected districts.
  • As of 6 December 2024, sewage samples collected from Dera Bugti, Quetta, Nasirabad, Usta Muhammad, Bajour, Tank, Multan, Bahawalpur, Okara, Rahim Yar Khan, DG Khan, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Islamabad from 13 to 19 November tested positive for WPV1.
  • This year, 59 polio cases have been reported. The resurgence of poliovirus this year has put children nationwide at risk from a debilitating disease.
  • Polio is incurable, yet entirely preventable with the help of multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine that the Polio Programme brings to children at their doorsteps multiple times a year. Similarly, routine vaccination against 12 childhood preventable diseases provided free of charge by the Expanded Programme for Immunization, gives additional immunity boost to children to be able to fight off infections like polio.
  • The Polio Programme is launching the sub-national polio vaccination campaign on 16th December to reach more than 44.7 million children under five with the vaccine and keep them protected from paralytic polio.
  • It is critical for parents and caregivers to ensure that their children under the age of five receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine whenever a vaccinator knocks on their door to protect children against polio’s paralyzing effects.