ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s polio tally for 2025 rose to 13 after the National Institute of Health’s Regional Reference Laboratory confirmed the virus in an 18-month-old girl from Union Council Amakhel, Tank district, in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The latest case marks the seventh reported from the province this year, underscoring ongoing concerns over virus circulation in high-risk zones.
Separately, four cases have been reported in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan so far this year.
The Regional Reference Laboratory at NIH Islamabad confirmed a case of wild poliovirus in a 33-month-old boy from KP’s Bannu district on Sunday.
Last week, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme reported that poliovirus was detected in environmental samples taken from seven different districts in the country.
The programme said virus was found in environmental samples from Quetta, Gwadar, South Waziristan (lower) and South Waziristan (upper). Furthermore, environmental samples taken from Larkana, Rawalpindi and Mirpurkhas also contained poliovirus.
In a positive news, environmental samples collected from Pishin and Lahore were declared free of the poliovirus by the Polio Eradication Programme, the public organisation fighting to end the crippling disease from the country.
According to the anti-poliovirus organisation, a total of nine sewage samples were collected from nine districts across Pakistan between May 8 and 23 as part of environmental surveillance efforts.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus, primarily affecting children under the age of five. It can invade the nervous system, leading to paralysis or even death. Although there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this disease.
Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, and the number of cases every year had significantly dropped in the country, until the recent spike in cases.
Despite progress in national campaigns, southern KP remains a challenge due to access issues and barriers to house-to-house vaccination, leaving many children unvaccinated and vulnerable.
In 2025, three national campaigns — held in February, April and May — have reached over 45 million children, supported by 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 female vaccinators, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Islamabad noted.
Last month, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme officially launched its third National Immunisation Days (NIDs) campaign in an effort to make Pakistan a polio-free nation.
In 2024, a total of 74 polio cases were reported across Pakistan, with Balochistan recording 27 cases, Sindh 23, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 22, and one case each from Punjab and Islamabad.
