Islamabad, May 7 (IANS) As the polio virus continues to pose a major public health threat in Pakistan, five environmental samples collected in Karachi have recently tested positive for the virus, local media reported, citing a senior health department official. Speaking at a consultation held at Sindh on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator Sheheryar Memon said that five environmental samples in Karachi recently tested positive for the poliovirus, stressing the urgent ne…
Latest Poliovirus News & Updates
Athens, April 24 (IANS) Pakistan is evolving into a significant reservoir of poliovirus, raising concerns within the international community that it may become a hub for broader cross-border transmission. This resurgence is driven by systemic challenges, including corruption, administrative failures, government inaction, barriers to access in vulnerable communities, and widespread vaccine hesitancy, a report stated. According to Athens-based Geopolitico, this trend is especially troubling given …
Blantyre, Jan 29 (IANS) Health authorities have expressed concern over the growing prevalence of cholera in Malawi, with at least three deaths and more than 50 confirmed cases recorded since October 2025. Minister of Health and Sanitation Madalitso Baloyi voiced concern on Wednesday during a sensitisation meeting with the authorities of the commercial city of Blantyre, which is leading in the number of cases, Xinhua News Agency reported.According to the minister, Blantyre has the highest prevale…
Islamabad, Jan 18 (IANS) Poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples from 40 districts across Pakistan, according to test results from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health.In a statement issued this week, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program said environmental samples were collected in December 2025 from multiple locations nationwide, confirming the presence of poliovirus in several areas, reports Xinhua news agency.”A total of 127 envi…
New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) South-East Asia Region, home to a quarter of the world’s population, has marked 15 years since recording its last case of wild poliovirus, said the World Health Organization (IANS) on Tuesday.The region continues to sustain its polio-free status while harnessing innovations and lessons from the polio programme to accelerate broader public health progress, the global health body said. “This extraordinary achievement followed unparalleled efforts and demonstrates what …
Islamabad, Jan 10 (IANS) Pakistan will vaccinate more than 45 million children during its first nationwide polio eradication campaign of 2026, scheduled to run from February 2 to February 8, health authorities said on Saturday.The country’s emergency operations centre said the week-long campaign will be conducted across the country, with vaccination teams administering oral polio vaccine to children under the age of five.The campaign will be held simultaneously in Pakistan and neighbouring Afgha…
Islamabad, Jan 2 (IANS) Hyderabad region of Pakistan’s Sindh has not been able to achieve polio-free status in 2025, with over 12,000 children missing vaccination during the final nationwide campaign in 2025, sparking concerns over official negligence and public resistance, local media reported. Continuous indifference by health department officials has once again affected efforts to eliminate polio from the district, according to official sources. As many as 12,092 children aged below the age o…