PESHAWAR: Poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples collected on June 3rd and 4th from Karachi’s Kemari and Peshawar. These samples revealed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 and vaccine-derived poliovirus types 2 and 3.
In 2024, 185 sewage samples from all four provinces of Pakistan have tested positive for polio, with 45 districts reporting cases. So far this year, Pakistan has recorded five polio cases, with one child tragically succumbing to the disease.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where the poliovirus, which causes paralysis and can be life-threatening, remains endemic.