The environmental samples collected from Peshawar city and District Dera Bugti from Balochistan have tested positive for wild poliovirus.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH), which also serves as the WHO Regional Reference Lab for poliovirus, confirmed that genetic testing had linked the virus in all samples to the cluster circulating in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Federal caretaker Minister for Health Dr Nadeem Jan urged parents to ensure that their children were up to date on routine immunisation and receive the oral polio vaccine repeatedly, ensuring strong immunity to fight off infections.

He said, “Every virus detection is a stark reminder of the collective responsibility we hold to protect our communities. I urge parents and caregivers to vaccinate their children in every immunization round and create awareness on the high risk that wild poliovirus poses to our children.”

He said that thorough epidemiological investigations would be held for each detection to identify the affected populations and plan swift responses to build immunity.

He said the government had already started a national polio immunisation drive to vaccinate children under five.