NIH confirms three polio cases in K-P, Sindh

Pakistan has reported three new polio cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in 2025 to 17, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad.

The latest cases were confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at NIH on Sunday. Two of the cases were reported from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P)— in the districts of Lakki Marwat and North Waziristan — while the third was from Umerkot district in Sindh.

The affected children include 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 (60 months old) from Union Council Chajro in Umerkot, Sindh.

With these additions, the provincial breakdown of polio cases this year stands at 10 in K-P, five in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Polio is a highly contagious, incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. Health officials warn that the only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five, alongside the timely completion of essential immunisations.

“Every unvaccinated child is at risk and can also pose a risk to others. Poliovirus can resurface wherever immunity gaps exist,” an official said, stressing the importance of vaccination coverage.

A special anti-polio campaign is currently under way from July 21 to 27 in border Union Councils, aligned with Afghanistan’s sub-national polio campaign. A fractional IPV-OPV campaign also launched in District Chaman on July 21 and is scheduled to expand to six additional districts of Balochistan from July 28.

Health authorities have reiterated that polio eradication is a collective responsibility. “While frontline polio workers continue to deliver life-saving vaccines, it is equally important for all parents and caregivers to ensure that their children receive every dose,” the official added.

Communities are urged to support vaccination drives, counter misinformation, and encourage full immunisation to prevent the resurgence of the virus.