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Pakistan has confirmed its 13th polio case of 2025, after the virus was detected in an 18-month-old girl from Union Council Amakhel in District Tank, South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The case was verified by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, according to health officials.
This latest case marks the seventh reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this year, highlighting renewed concerns over continued transmission in high-risk regions. Four cases have been confirmed in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, bringing the nationwide total to 13 so far in 2025.
Earlier in the week, a 33-month-old boy from Bannu district, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, tested positive for the virus. Environmental surveillance has also detected Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples from seven districts across the country, including Gwadar and Quetta in Balochistan, Rawalpindi in Punjab, South Waziristan Upper and Lower in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Larkana and Mirpur Khas in Sindh.
The samples, collected between May 8 and May 23, are part of Pakistan’s ongoing environmental surveillance program. However, samples from Lahore in Punjab and Pishin in Balochistan tested negative for the virus.
In response to the ongoing threat, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme has conducted three nationwide immunisation campaigns in 2025, reaching over 45 million children under the age of five with the assistance of more than 400,000 frontline workers. Health authorities are urging all parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive polio drops during every campaign, emphasizing that repeated vaccination is the only effective way to protect children from this debilitating disease.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic. Efforts to eradicate the virus have been hampered by vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, and targeted attacks on polio workers, particularly in the northwest and southwest regions. In April, two health workers were abducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while returning from duties related to the polio eradication campaign.
Health officials continue to stress the importance of vaccination and community engagement to overcome the remaining challenges in the fight against polio.
Disclaimer:
This article is based on information reported by Social News XYZ and other official sources as of June 27, 2025. Details are subject to change as new data becomes available. The information provided is for general news purposes and should not be considered medical advice.
