- Two new cases reported in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- An infected child identified in Sindh’s Umerkot District.
- Vaccination drives are underway in border areas.
Islamabad: At least three new cases of poliovirus were confirmed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh on Sunday, which brought Pakistan’s national count to 17 for the year 2025.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio -Duching at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the discovery of cases in Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan and Umerkot.
According to a press release, the cases were discovered in a 15-month-old girl from UC Takhtikhel in District Lakki Marwat, a six-month-old girl from UC MIR Ali-3 in North Waziristan, and a 60-month-old boy from UC Chajro in District Umerkot, Sindh.
“With these new detections, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has risen to 17 – including ten from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, five from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan,” the statement read.
“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 end of all essential immunizations,” it said.
Meanwhile, a special vaccination campaign is currently underway from July 21 to July 27 in the bordering union councils, synchronized with Afghanistan’s subnational polio campaign.
“In addition, a fractional IPV Upv campaign in District Chaman began on July 21 and will roll out in the other six districts in Balochistan from July 28, the statement states.
