Islamabad: The circulation of poliovirus appears to be declining in many parts of Pakistan, with the majority of environmental samples collected in January 2026 testing negative for the virus, according to the latest data shared by the national polio surveillance system.
Out of 87 districts currently under environmental surveillance, 67 reported no poliovirus detection during the month. Of the 127 sewage sampling sites monitored nationwide, only 24 samples, around 19 per cent, tested positive.
Health officials described this as the lowest level of environmental positivity recorded since October 2023, reflecting a noticeable improvement in virus circulation across the country.
Punjab, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan reported no positive samples from any of their environmental surveillance sites.
Polio program officials said this was an encouraging sign, particularly for densely populated and highly mobile areas where the risk of transmission has traditionally been high.
The remaining positive samples were largely concentrated in known high-risk pockets. Sindh accounted for the highest number of detections, with most positive sites located in Karachi and adjoining districts, as well as parts of northern Sindh.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four positive samples were reported, all from southern districts including Bannu and parts of North and South Waziristan. Balochistan reported two positive sites, in Dera Bugti and Kech.
Health authorities also pointed to a positive trend in Karachi, where four environmental surveillance sites that had remained positive for prolonged periods turned negative in January, suggesting a possible decline in virus circulation following repeated vaccination drives.
Environmental surveillance, which involves testing sewage for poliovirus, is considered a sensitive early warning system and often detects the virus even when no paralytic polio cases are reported.
Polio program officials said the latest findings indicate that sustained vaccination campaigns and intensified monitoring in high-risk areas are having an impact.
However, officials warned that the progress reflected in environmental data is being undermined by gaps in immunisation coverage. During the most recent nationwide polio campaign, nearly one million children were missed. This includes children who were not available at home during vaccination visits as well as those whose parents refused to allow vaccination.
Health officials said refusals are increasingly linked to misinformation and coordinated anti-vaccine narratives circulating on social media, which are creating confusion among parents and fuelling unnecessary fears about polio drops.
Such campaigns, they warned, pose a serious challenge to the country’s efforts to interrupt virus transmission.
Pakistan remains one of the last two countries in the world where polio is still endemic. While the latest environmental surveillance results provide grounds for cautious optimism, experts stress that the virus can only be eliminated if every child is reached, particularly in high-risk urban and border districts.
Officials said renewed efforts are needed to counter misinformation, strengthen community engagement and ensure that missed children are tracked and vaccinated in subsequent campaigns, warning that even small immunity gaps can allow the virus to persist and resurface.