ISLAMABAD, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan recorded a sharp decline in poliovirus detected through environmental surveillance in the first half of 2026, with the positivity rate falling to 13.1 percent from 48.1 percent a year earlier, the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) said on Thursday.
The EOC said 127 environmental samples were collected nationwide in June, of which 117 tested negative and 10 positive for poliovirus.
Between January and June, the number of positive environmental samples dropped to 100 from 369 during the same period last year. All 31 samples collected in eastern Punjab province tested negative, while 28 of 29 samples from southern Sindh, 30 of 34 from northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 18 of 23 from southwest Balochistan province were negative.
The EOC said three polio cases have been confirmed in Pakistan so far this year, adding that environmental surveillance, vaccination coverage and immunization campaigns are being strengthened to eradicate the disease.
It urged parents, community leaders, religious scholars and healthcare professionals to support vaccination efforts and ensure every child under five receives polio drops during each immunization campaign. ■
