Two environmental samples from Rawalpindi district have tested positive for poliovirus just days before the final anti-polio vaccination drive of 2025, officials said. The four-day campaign is scheduled for December 15–18.
The World Health Organization collected the positive samples from a nullah in Safdarabad near Pirwadhai and from Dhoke Dalal on the Rawalpindi–Islamabad border. District Health Authority CEO Ehsan Ghani said laboratory analysis showed the virus is genetically linked to an active cluster circulating in Rahimyar Khan and Karachi. He added the finding “is not worrisome as it has come through some group of people,” and noted the impact of last month’s campaign will be reflected in December’s environmental testing.
Local authorities held a preparedness review at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office attended by health officials, WHO representatives and district administrators. Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema chaired the meeting, which assessed team formation, security arrangements and monitoring systems. Cheema stressed that polio eradication requires coordinated action by all institutions, ordered guaranteed door-to-door access for vaccination teams, warned of strict action against negligent staff and urged parents to cooperate so children are protected from lifelong disability.
The district administration directed all departments to provide full support and field-level supervision throughout the campaign. The announcement came amid wider provincial concern after four environmental samples tested positive in November — two from Lahore and two from Rawalpindi.
The Punjab campaign aims to vaccinate nearly 23.3 million children under five. About 200,000 frontline workers will be deployed provincewide. In Rawalpindi more than 10,000 health workers and supervisors will go door-to-door to reach over one million children, with the stated goal of ensuring no child is missed.
The District Health Authority says preparations are complete for smooth implementation in urban and rural areas. The Punjab Emergency Operations Centre has also sent technical experts to priority districts to support execution. Provincial authorities reiterated their commitment to ending polio and ensuring every child receives the two life-saving drops that prevent the crippling disease.
