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Islamabad, July 28, 2025 – Pakistan has recorded three new polio cases, bringing the nationwide total to 17 for 2025. According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, the latest cases were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan and Lakki Marwat districts, and Sindh’s Umerkot district.
Health authorities identified the new cases as a 15-month-old girl from Union Council Takhtikhel in Lakki Marwat, a six-month-old girl from Union Council Mir Ali-3 in North Waziristan, and a five-year-old boy from Union Council Chajro in Umerkot.
Out of the 17 cases in 2025, 10 were registered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, five in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan.
Polio, a highly infectious viral illness that predominantly targets children under five, remains incurable but is preventable through immunization. The World Health Organization (WHO) underscores the importance of the polio vaccine, noting that repeated doses can provide lifelong protection.
To curb the virus’s spread, a special vaccination campaign has been underway in Pakistan’s bordering Union Councils from July 21-27, paralleling Afghanistan’s sub-national polio campaign. Additionally, a fractional IPV-OPV campaign began in District Chaman on July 21 and is set to expand to six more districts in Balochistan starting July 28.
Earlier in May, the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples from 18 districts across the country. These environmental surveillance samples, collected between April 7-17 from 31 districts, revealed the presence of the virus in areas such as Dera Ismail Khan, Sukkur, Karachi, Peshawar, Tank, North Waziristan, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Balochistan’s Loralai and Quetta, among others.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Sakshi Post team.
