Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) has been identified at 18 sites, including four new districts: Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Swabi, and Swat. The regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad confirmed these findings. As of now, the number of infected districts in 2024 totals 38.
In Bannu, a sample collected on April 24 from the Hinjal-Noorabad site tested positive, marking the district’s first detection this year. This strain, the YB3A cluster, shares 99.77% genetic similarity with the virus identified in Pishin on April 1.
Lakki Marwat reported its first positive sample of the year from a sample taken on April 22 at the Tube Well Gali site.
In Swabi, officials collected the sample on April 18 from the Shah Mansoor & Kala Pull Badray site.
Similarly, Swat recorded a positive sample from Saidu Sharif on April 25, which is genetically 99.77% identical to the virus found in Swabi on April 18.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a recent meeting with a delegation from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) led by Dr. Christopher Elias, Chair of the Polio Oversight Board and President of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Development Division, expressed optimism about eliminating polio from Pakistan soon.
He also instructed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to initiate a collaborative awareness campaign with the GPEI to educate the public about polio prevention.
