Islamabad, Aug 18 (PTI) Pakistan has reported two new cases of poliovirus, increasing the total number of infections to 21 this year, according to health authorities on Monday.
Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, remains one of the only two countries where polio is still endemic. The latest cases were identified in the Kohistan Lower district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the Badin district of Sindh province.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported that a six-year-old girl from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a 21-month-old girl from Sindh were the latest victims of the disease.
With these latest infections, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan for 2025 has reached 21, with 13 cases originating from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and six from Sindh. An additional case has been reported from the Punjab province and the Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Despite ongoing efforts to combat the disease, there has been an increase in polio cases within the country. In 2023, Pakistan recorded six cases, and there was only one case in 2021. However, there was a significant resurgence of poliovirus in 2024, with 74 cases reported.
The NIH announced that a Sub-National Polio Vaccination Campaign is scheduled to take place from September 1 to 7, aiming to vaccinate over 28 million children under the age of five across 99 districts in all provinces and regions.
The NIH added that the campaign in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be carried out starting September 15, with the objective of ensuring that every child in these areas receives the vaccine to protect them against the lifelong consequences of polio.
The organization emphasized the importance of quickly bolstering immunity among children and addressing existing protection gaps. Parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to ensure their children receive the polio vaccine during this and every subsequent campaign.
Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can lead to permanent paralysis. The most effective defense against this devastating virus is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for all children under the age of five during each anti-polio campaign, along with the timely completion of routine immunizations.
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