Pakistan’s ongoing battle against polio continues to face setbacks. A recent survey of 102 environmental samples collected nationwide revealed 30 positive samples of the poliovirus.

The samples, taken from 69 districts, were analyzed at the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication.

The breakdown of positive samples by province is as follows: Sindh (14), Punjab (6), Balochistan (3), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (4), and Islamabad (2). Azad Jammu and Kashmir also reported one positive sample.

In response to these findings, health officials have announced a vaccination campaign targeting 158,497 children in Diamer district and three districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from July 14th to 18th.

A separate campaign will vaccinate approximately six million children in seven Balochistan districts from August 4th to 11th. These efforts aim to curb the spread of the virus.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where the virus is still endemic. The crippling disease has been eradicated successfully from the rest of the world.