The polio virus has been confirmed in sewage samples from all four provinces of Pakistan, raising serious concerns about the country’s ongoing fight against the disease.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), wild polio type one was detected in environmental samples collected between February 10 and 18 from 14 districts.
The affected areas include:
- Sindh: Karachi East, Karachi South
- Balochistan: Quetta, Gwadar, Khuzdar, Naseerabad, Awsta Muhammad, Qila Saifullah, Kech
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Abbottabad, Bannu, Tank
- Punjab: Lahore, Sargodha
Despite these detections, 30 districts have been declared polio-free. However, six cases of polio have already been reported this year, with four from Sindh, one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one from Punjab.
Health authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are expected to intensify vaccination efforts in high-risk areas to prevent further spread of the virus.
