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.