Poliovirus Detected in Additional Districts of Punjab, Pakistan

Islamabad: The persistence of poliovirus in Pakistan is evidenced by recent tests revealing that sewage samples from two additional districts in Punjab, namely Sahiwal and Rahim Yar Khan, along with 10 other districts previously affected, have tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1). This development underscores the ongoing spread of the virus and emphasizes the critical need for comprehensive immunization efforts among children in the region.

According to Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health identified the presence of the virus in environmental samples collected between August 12 and August 21 from multiple districts including Sahiwal, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, Usta Muhammad, Quetta, Dera Bugti, Killa Saifullah, Mirpur Khas, Karachi East, and Islamabad. This year, an intense outbreak of WPV1 has impacted the country, affecting 17 children and resulting in positive tests across 66 districts in all four provinces, as well as one district in AJK.

In response to the crisis, the Polio Programme is launching a large-scale vaccination campaign starting September 9. This initiative will involve house-to-house visits by vaccinators in 115 districts, aiming to administer polio vaccinations to over 33 million children under the age of five. The program also emphasizes the importance of community involvement in the vaccination process, calling on parents, grandparents, community elders, teachers, and communities at large to ensure that all children receive vaccinations against polio at every available opportunity.

Polio is an incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis in children. The oral polio vaccine, administered multiple times, remains the most effective defense against the disease, coupled with routine vaccinations provided free of charge by the government’s Expanded Programme on Immunization at health facilities.

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