Polio cases rise to 23 as two more detected in K-P

New cases were detected in Tank and North Waziristan districts

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed two new cases of wild poliovirus, bringing the total number of cases reported in Pakistan this year to 23.

According to official sources, the new cases were detected in southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) — one each from District Tank and District North Waziristan.

The affected children include a 16-month-old girl from Union Council Mullazai in Tank, and a two-year-old girl from Union Council Miran Shah-3 in North Waziristan.

With these latest detections, the province of K-P accounts for 15 of the 23 total cases reported in 2025. Sindh has reported six cases, while Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan have recorded one case each.

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Health officials reiterated that polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease, often leading to permanent paralysis in children.

They underscored that the only reliable protection remains the repeated administration of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) to every child under the age of five during each national campaign, alongside full adherence to routine immunisation schedules.

While acknowledging the progress made in reducing polio cases over recent years, authorities expressed concern over the persistent transmission of the virus, particularly in parts of southern K-P.

They attributed the continued risk to children in hard-to-reach areas and communities with low vaccine acceptance.

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To address the situation, both national and provincial Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) have intensified efforts to ensure high-quality vaccination campaigns.

The National Emergency Operations Centre has finalised a comprehensive vaccination calendar for the upcoming low-transmission season, aimed at halting further spread of the virus.

The first campaign of the season is scheduled to run from September 1 to 7, with a focused campaign in southern K-P to begin on September 15. Over 28 million children under the age of five are expected to be vaccinated during this nationwide door-to-door campaign.

“The goal is to ensure that no child is left behind,” a senior official said, stressing that “rapidly boosting immunity levels in high-risk areas is critical to interrupt transmission.”

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According to a report released in May 2025, there had been 17,136 refusal cases in Peshawar – the highest number of people declining to allow administration of polio vaccines to their children.

Other areas include Mardan, 6,812 cases; Bannu, 10,781, Lakki Marwat, 976; DI Khan, 2,128; and Kohat, 1,009.

Shafiullah Khan, the coordinator of the EOC in K-P, said that awareness campaigns through media were playing a vital role, and the number of parents refusing vaccination had been decreasing significantly.

"Once there were thousands of refusals, now only a few areas remain, and efforts are under way to address those too," Khan said. He acknowledged the challenges in the fight against polio, noting a lack of communication access and the ongoing security concerns in tribal districts as major concerns.