ISLAMABAD:
A new polio case has been reported in the North Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, confirmed the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad on Tuesday.
A 19-month-old boy from Union Council Miranshah-3, North Waziristan, has been confirmed as the eighth polio case from K-P this year. With this latest case, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 now stands at 14, including eight from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is repeated doses of the polio vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, along with timely completion of all essential immunisations.
While nationwide efforts to eradicate polio continue to improve the quality of vaccination campaigns, the southern districts of K-P remain a major concern due to limited access and challenges in conducting house-to-house vaccinations.
These obstacles lead to missed opportunities, leaving thousands of children unvaccinated and vulnerable to the poliovirus.
A special vaccination activity was conducted in six union councils of Bannu from June 23 to 28, during which 17,485 children received the vaccine. A similar targeted vaccination drive is being planned for 11 union councils of North Waziristan.
Additionally, preparations are underway for a large-scale special vaccination campaign in southern K-P, scheduled for August.
