19 Punjab districts free of polio virus: CM praises health dept, international partners

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday lauded the health department, international partners and the provincial polio eradication team after the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that environmental samples collected from 19 districts of Punjab tested negative for poliovirus.

According to the WHO, environmental samples from Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Attock, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Jhang tested negative for the virus. Other districts reporting negative samples include Khanewal, Mianwali, Okara, Rajanpur, Rawalpindi, Rahim Yar Khan, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Sialkot.

“Every child in Punjab is dear to me, and protecting them from every form of disability remains my foremost priority,” the CM said while chairing a special meeting to review measures aimed at eliminating polio from the province.

The chief minister welcomed the WHO confirmation that 31 environmental samples collected from 19 districts had been found free of poliovirus.

Addressing the meeting, Maryam Nawaz said that, for the first time in Punjab’s history, environmental samples collected from 19 districts had tested negative. She noted that environmental samples from high-risk districts had also turned out negative for the first time.

She appreciated the cooperation and support extended by the World Health Organisation and international partners in the fight against polio.

The chief minister said that polio workers, volunteers, supervisors and monitors working in every union council were the real heroes behind this achievement. She added that Punjab was now closer than ever to becoming a polio-free province.

The CM observed that the significant decline in poliovirus circulation reflected the government’s effective strategy, while the elimination of the virus from high-risk areas demonstrated strong political commitment and foolproof monitoring.

She said that special efforts had been made to ensure access to high-risk union councils, mobile populations and migrant communities.

She added that although the negative samples represented a major success, there was no room for complacency until complete eradication of the disease. “Until the last child is protected, our fight against polio will continue,” she added.

The chief minister urged the people of Punjab to play their role in the campaign against polio, saying that eradication of the disease was not solely the responsibility of the government but a shared duty of every household, community and neighbourhood.

She appealed to parents to ensure that their children receive polio drops, describing vaccination as a guarantee of lifelong health.

Maryam Nawaz also called upon religious scholars, community leaders and the public to support the mission, saying that a polio-free Punjab could only be achieved through collective efforts.

She further urged citizens to cooperate with polio teams and not to turn them away, noting that the teams visit homes solely to protect children from the crippling disease.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026