Islamabad:
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio-Outrime at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has confirmed a polio case from the North Waziristan District, South Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. A 19-month-old boy from Union Council Miranshah-3 has been identified as the eighth polio case from KP this year.
With this latest detection, the total number of polio cases reported in Pakistan in 2025 has risen to 14 -including eight from KP, four from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Gilgit -Baltistan.
Polio is a very infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for each child under five years during each campaign along with timely ending of all essential immunizations.
While nationwide efforts to eradicate polio continue to improve the quality of vaccination campaigns, the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain a major problem due to limited access and challenges in implementing house-to-house vaccination. These obstacles result in unanswered options, leaving thousands of children unvaccinated and vulnerable to poliovirus.
A special vaccination activity was carried out in six union councils in Bannu from 23 to 28 June, when 17,485 children received the oral polio vaccine (OPV). A similar targeted vaccination drive is planned in 11 trade union council in North Waziristan.
In addition, the preparations are underway with a large -scale special vaccination campaign in South KP, which is scheduled for August.
Recent polio cases in South KP are a sharp reminder that children who were missed during vaccination campaigns remain at serious risk. While the program is doing everything to reach any child, the role of parents is critical.
