Pakistan sees decline in positive polio environmental samples amid strong vaccination drive

Pakistan reports drop in positive polio environmental samples

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported a sharp drop in positive polio environmental samples, signaling measurable progress in the country’s fight to eradicate the virus.

In July 2025, the national environmental surveillance system collected 127 sewage samples from 87 districts. According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), 75 samples tested negative and 42 were confirmed positive, while results for 10 samples are still pending.

Officials from the Pakistan Polio Programme say this downward trend reflects the impact of high-quality vaccination campaigns carried out nationwide, though the virus remains active in certain regions.

Provincial breakdown of July 2025 results

• Balochistan: 22 negative, 1 positive — a dramatic drop from 15 positive sites in January. In Quetta Block, six of seven sites tested negative.
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 24 negative, 7 positive, 3 under process — down from 14 positive sites in January, with South KP recording three positives. In Peshawar, four of six sites tested negative.
• Punjab: 15 negative, 12 positive, 4 under process — positive sites fell from 15 in March to 12 in July.
• Sindh: 10 negative, 19 positive — districts with positive detections reduced from 20 in March to 12 in July.
• Islamabad: 1 negative, 3 positive, 1 under process.
• Azad Jammu and Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: All tested samples so far negative, with a few under process.

Sustained vaccination efforts driving progress

Over the past year, Pakistan has conducted six high-quality polio vaccination campaigns, including four nationwide rounds — each reaching over 45 million children. These efforts have reduced both confirmed polio cases and positive environmental detections, bringing the country closer to interrupting virus transmission.

The next sub-national campaign will run from September 1–7, 2025, targeting 28 million children across 91 districts. Health officials are urging parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive the polio drops, along with free routine immunizations for children under 15 months, to protect them from preventable diseases and lifelong paralysis.

Public health experts stress that while the decline in environmental positives is encouraging, Pakistan must sustain momentum to achieve full eradication, especially in high-risk districts where the virus remains present.

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