Border controls cut polio cases by 60%

Last year's tally reaches 31 after North Waziristan case confirmed

ISLAMABAD:

Another polio case was confirmed on Tuesday in North Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), raising the total number of polio cases reported in 2025 to 31.

However, when compared to 2024, there has been a 59.5% reduction in the incidence of the disease in the outgoing year. This significant reduction is due to Pakistan's decision to regulate unorganised cross-border movement with Afghanistan, health officials said based on surveillance data.

Authorities said tighter controls on the movement of people and goods across the border have strengthened monitoring systems and reduced opportunities for the virus to spread.

Official figures show that polio cases declined by 59.5% in 2025, with transmission now restricted to fewer geographical areas compared to previous years.

This containment has enabled vaccination teams to concentrate efforts in high-risk districts, improving both coverage and follow-up among vulnerable populations.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border has long posed a challenge for polio eradication due to frequent and largely unmanaged population movement.

Afghanistan continues to report circulation of the wild poliovirus, and repeated cross-border travel has historically contributed to the re-importation of the virus into Pakistan.

Children from mobile families often missed routine immunisation and multiple vaccine doses, increasing the risk of continued transmission.

Health officials said better regulation of cross-border movement and the repatriation of undocumented Afghan immigrants have reduced this risk.

With more structured border management, vaccination at transit points has improved and mobile populations are now easier to track. This has helped close long-standing gaps in immunisation coverage.

In addition, surveillance systems have become more effective as population flows are now better documented. Officials note that environmental sampling and follow-up of suspected cases have improved, allowing for quicker detection and response.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Tuesday confirmed a case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in North Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

This is the fifth case reported from the district in 2025, bringing the total number of polio cases in Pakistan for the past year to 31.

The poliovirus was detected in a 4-month-old girl from Union Council Spinwam-2. The child had onset of symptoms in December, and subsequent samples collected from her were positive for WPV1, the NIH's Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication reported this week.

Last year, Pakistan reported 20 cases from the K-P, nine from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. Southern K-P accounted for more than half of Pakistan's WPV1 cases in 2025, with 17 of the country's 31 cases reported from the region.

Ongoing security challenges have limited consistent access for polio teams in parts of southern K-P, including North Waziristan, resulting in persistent immunity gaps and leaving children vulnerable to this paralytic disease.

It is critical to ensure that every child is reached with the polio vaccine in every house-to-house campaign and has received their full doses of routine immunization.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is also adopting innovative complementary approaches, especially in southern K-P, such as involving local influencers in campaigns and providing integrated services like nutrition, routine vaccination and other health services to increase children's immunity.

Polio is a highly contagious 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 the age of five during each vaccination campaign, along with timely completion of routine immunization.