Pakistan records two more cases of polio; 2025 tally raises to 23

Two new polio cases have been confirmed in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising Pakistan’s 2025 tally to 23. The highly infectious disease persists in hard-to-reach areas with low vaccine acceptance, despite ongoing nationwide eradication efforts by health authorities and partners

Islamabad: Another two polio cases were detected in the southern parts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, raising the overall tally to 23 in 2025, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Tuesday.

According to the statement of the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at NIH in Islamabad, the new cases include a 16-month-old girl from Union Council Mullazai in Tank district and a 24-month-old girl from Union Council Miran Shah-3 in North Waziristan district of the province, local media reported.

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It further said that 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 Pakistan-occupied 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,” the polio eradication body added. The statement highlighted that children in hard-to-reach regions and those with low vaccine acceptance remain vulnerable, adding that the National and Provincial Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) are working to ensure the implementation of high-quality vaccination drives, reports leading Pakistani daily Dawn.

Last week, two cases of polio were confirmed in Pakistan, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the NIH. One polio case involved a six-year-old girl in Lower Kohistan district of K-P, while another was detected in a 21-month-old girl from Sindh’s Badin district.

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children aged below five years, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

There is no cure for polio; however, it can only be prevented by immunisation. The polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life. The continued detection of polio cases shows that children remain at risk in areas where fewer people are ready to vaccinate their children.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where Wild Poliovirus remains endemic. Polio workers have frequently been targeted in attacks, particularly in the northwest and southwest regions.