Pakistan has confirmed two new polio cases, raising the nationwide total to 21 this year. The latest infections were detected in Lower Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Badin, Sindh, according to health authorities.
Details of new infections
The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) reported that a six-year-old girl from Union Council Pattan in Lower Kohistan and a 21-month-old girl from Union Council Matli-II in Badin tested positive for the poliovirus.
With these new infections, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has now recorded 13 polio cases in 2025, while Sindh’s total stands at six. Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan earlier reported one case each.
Polio remains a health threat
Officials have once again stressed that polio is incurable, and vaccination is the only way to protect children. “Every missed child is a risk to all children,” the NEOC said in its statement. Parents have been urged to ensure that their children receive repeated doses of the polio vaccine.
Nationwide campaign begins September 1
To prevent further spread, Pakistan will start a nationwide polio vaccination drive on September 1. Millions of children under the age of five will receive drops, with special focus on high-risk districts, including areas where fresh cases were reported.
Decline in virus samples
Despite new infections, authorities note progress in controlling the disease. A recent NEOC laboratory report showed a decline in the number of positive environmental samples. Out of 127 sewage samples collected from 87 districts, 42 tested positive for poliovirus, while 75 were polio-free. Results for 10 samples are still pending.
Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan were all covered in the report. Most samples in Balochistan and AJK tested negative, while Sindh and Punjab recorded higher positivity rates.
Continued surveillance
All tests were conducted at the National Institute of Health’s Polio Regional Laboratory in Islamabad, which remains central to environmental surveillance and early detection of the poliovirus.
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