Poliovirus detected in 42 sewage samples across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Health authorities have detected poliovirus in 42 out of a total of 127 sewage samples collected from 87 districts nationwide, the country’s polio programme said on Tuesday, amid a resurgence of polio cases in the country.

Sample testing at the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s National Institute of Health confirmed 75 sewage samples as negative, while another 10 samples were being processed at the lab, according to the polio programme.

One positive sample was reported from Balochistan, seven from KP, 12 from Punjab, 19 from Sindh and three from the capital city of Islamabad. Three samples in KP, four in Punjab along with one each in Islamabad, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, were under process.

“While the overall trend shows a decline in positive detections, reflecting the impact of high-quality campaigns, the virus continues to circulate in certain areas,” the polio program said on Tuesday.

Pakistan has reported 19 polio cases so far this year. Of them, 12 came from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province that has been identified as a high-risk zone for poliovirus transmission due to insecurity, vaccine hesitancy and operational challenges.

The next sub-national polio vaccination campaign is scheduled for September 1–7, 2025, aiming to vaccinate 28 million children across 91 districts in all provinces and regions.