The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has confirmed two new poliovirus cases from south Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one from district Tank and the other from district North Waziristan.
The recent polio cases include a 16-month-old girl from Union Council Mullazai, District Tank, and a 24-month-old girl from Union Council Miran Shah-3, District North Waziristan. With these detections, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 23 – including 15 cases from KP, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunisations.
Despite significant progress, the continued detection of polio cases, particularly in southern KP, remains a serious concern. It underscores that children in hard-to-access areas and those with low vaccine acceptance continue to be at risk.
However, the National and Provincial Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) are taking all possible measures to ensure the implementation of high-quality vaccination campaigns.
To interrupt poliovirus transmission, the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication has developed a robust vaccination campaign schedule for the upcoming low transmission season.
