The Gilgit-Baltistan region reported its first polio case of 2025 on Monday, marking a concerning re-emergence of the crippling disease in an area previously considered polio-free.
Officials confirmed today that a 23-month-old child in the Diamer district has been infected with the poliovirus.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad officially confirmed the presence of the virus in the child from Diamer, indicating that this is the first time the poliovirus has been detected in Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to health officials, this new case brings the total number of polio cases reported across Pakistan so far in 2025 to 11.
The re-emergence in Gilgit-Baltistan underscores the ongoing challenges in eradicating polio nationwide and highlights the critical need for continued vigilance and robust vaccination campaigns, even in regions where the virus has not been detected for an extended period.
This latest polio case comes despite an ongoing campaign to immunize 45 million children under five years of age across different parts of the country.
This effort is seen as a decisive step in the country’s final push to stop poliovirus transmission and achieve eradication by the end of 2025.
