New Polio Cases Detected in KP and Sindh
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Islamabad has confirmed three more polio cases in Pakistan, raising the nationwide total for 2025 to 17. The announcement was made on Saturday by the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme (PPEP).
The newly detected cases include one each from Lakki Marwat and North Waziristan districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and one from Umerkot district in Sindh. According to the NIH’s Regional Reference Laboratory, the cases involve a 15-month-old girl from Takhtikhel, a six-month-old girl from Mir Ali tehsil, and a five-year-old boy from Chajro village.
Of the 17 confirmed cases this year, 10 are from KP, five from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Polio remains endemic in only two countries globally—Pakistan and Afghanistan—despite decades of global vaccination efforts. Factors like vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, and security challenges have hampered progress in eradicating the virus.
To tackle the recent surge, a special vaccination drive was held from July 21 to 27 in areas near the KP-Balochistan border, aligning with Afghanistan’s sub-national campaign. Another fractional vaccination round began in Chaman on July 21 and will extend to six Balochistan districts starting July 28.
Health officials stressed that while progress has been made, new detections highlight ongoing risks, particularly in areas with low immunisation coverage. The PPEP warned that unvaccinated children remain highly vulnerable and can contribute to the virus’s spread.
Polio, an incurable and highly contagious disease, can lead to permanent paralysis. The oral polio vaccine (OPV), administered repeatedly to children under five, remains the only effective shield against the virus.
