Pakistan is one of only two countries, along with Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, progress has been hampered by significant challenges, including security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and the spread of misinformation.
According to a statement from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the latest detection brings the total number of polio cases in Pakistan for 2025 to 27. These include 18 cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, seven from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The NIH also noted that a “Sub-National Polio Vaccination Campaign was conducted in September 2025 across 88 districts of the country, including Hyderabad.” This campaign successfully immunized “approximately 21 million children under the age of five.”
The next polio immunization campaign is scheduled to run from October 13 to 19, with the goal of reaching 45.5 million children. “More than 400,000 dedicated frontline polio workers will go door-to-door to ensure that every child is reached,” the NIH stated.
This new case was confirmed just over a week after two other polio virus cases were detected in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One case was found in a 19-month-old infant in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali tehsil, while the other was confirmed in an 11-month-old infant from Lakki Marwat’s Suleman Khel tehsil.
In 2024, the country reported at least 71 polio cases, with the virus being detected in around 90 districts. Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause permanent paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, in addition to the timely completion of all other essential immunizations.
