Pakistan’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that in January 2025, polio virus was detected in 36 percent of 127 wastewater samples collected from 87 districts of the country.
This is an increase of 32 percent compared to June.
And it has raised serious concerns about the spread of the disease.
Areas with the most pollution
19 positive samples out of 29 tested, highest number among regions
Punjab: 12 positive samples out of 27 indicate significant presence of virus
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 7 positive samples out of 31 samples with infection concentrated in southern areas of the province
– Islamabad 3 positive samples out of 4 samples
Balochistan only 1 positive sample in Quetta, significant decrease From 15 samples in January
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) all samples tested so far have been negative.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio is still endemic.
