Pakistan has confirmed its 13th polio case of the year after an 18-month-old girl from Union Council Amakhel in the Tank district of South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tested positive for the virus. The confirmation came from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, which also previously confirmed a case in a 33-month-old boy from Bannu, also in KP.
With this latest case, the total number of polio infections reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year has reached seven — the highest among all provinces in the country.
Read more: NIH Reports Detection of Poliovirus in Seven Districts Across Pakistan
The National Polio Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) noted that limited access to certain southern areas of KP remains a significant obstacle to conducting comprehensive door-to-door vaccination campaigns. In a statement, the EOC urged parents to remain vigilant and ensure their children receive polio drops during every round of immunisation, emphasizing the seriousness of the threat.
Nationwide, polio cases in 2025 include four from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, in addition to the seven reported in KP.
Recent environmental surveillance conducted by the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme has revealed the continued presence of the virus in several regions. Sewage samples collected from nine districts between May 8 and May 23 detected poliovirus in seven locations: Quetta, Gwadar, South Waziristan (Upper and Lower), Larkana, Rawalpindi, and Mirpurkhas. On a positive note, samples from Pishin and Lahore tested negative, indicating no virus presence.
These sewage sample findings, part of regular monitoring efforts, act as an early warning system and help authorities target areas needing urgent immunisation efforts.
Polio is a highly infectious disease that primarily affects children under five years old. It can cause irreversible paralysis and even death. Though there is no cure, vaccination remains the most effective defense against the disease.
Despite years of progress, Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world — along with Afghanistan — where polio is still classified as endemic. While overall case numbers had decreased in recent years, the recent surge in infections, especially in hard-to-reach areas, is alarming and threatens to reverse previous gains.
In 2025 alone, three nationwide immunisation drives — conducted in February, April, and May — targeted over 45 million children, supported by more than 400,000 health workers, including 225,000 female vaccinators. The third National Immunisation Days (NIDs) campaign launched last month further reflects Pakistan’s continued commitment to eradicating polio.
For context, in 2024, Pakistan recorded 74 polio cases, with Balochistan reporting the most (27), followed by Sindh (23), KP (22), and one case each in Punjab and Islamabad. While the number of cases so far in 2025 is lower, the ongoing detection of the virus in people and the environment remains a serious public health concern.
