CM Maryam hails milestone as 19 Punjab districts report poliovirus-free samples

• WHO confirms 31 environmental samples from across Punjab tested negative for poliovirus

• High-risk districts also report negative samples for first time in province’s history

• CM lauds health workers, int’l partners for key achievement, saying sustained strategy, monitoring led to sharp decline in virus circulation

 LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz 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.

Chairing a special meeting to review anti-polio measures across the province, the chief minister welcomed the WHO confirmation that 31 environmental samples collected from 19 districts had been found free of 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.

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

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

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

She observed that the significant decline in poliovirus circulation reflected the government’s effective strategy, while elimination from high-risk areas demonstrated strong political commitment and robust monitoring mechanisms.

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

“Every child in Punjab is dear to me, and protecting them from any form of disability remains my foremost priority,” she said, adding that despite encouraging results, 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 actively participate in the anti-polio campaign, saying 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 protection.

Maryam Nawaz also called upon religious scholars, community leaders, and the public to support the campaign, 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 refuse access, noting that these teams visit homes solely to protect children from the crippling disease.