Pakistan polio tally rises to 21 with new cases in Sindh, KP

The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) reported one polio case each from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing this year’s tally to 21.

Pakistan remains among the last two countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, where polio continues to exist despite years of global eradication efforts. Security concerns, vaccine refusal, and misinformation have slowed down progress in fully eliminating the virus. According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s National Institute of Health, the latest cases include a six-year-old girl from Union Council Pattan in Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and a 21-month-old girl from Union Council Matli-2 in Sindh’s Badin district. With these detections, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has risen to 21. These include 13 cases from KP, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause permanent paralysis. The only effective protection is repeated administration of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five during each campaign, along with timely routine immunisation. Health authorities announced that from September 1 to 7, a sub-national campaign will target more than 28 million children under five in 99 districts nationwide.

In southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the campaign will begin on September 15 with the aim of reaching every child in high-risk areas. Officials said the campaign seeks to quickly build immunity among children and close existing protection gaps.
Recent data shows the virus remains widespread, with poliovirus detected in 36 per cent of environmental samples from 87 districts in July. In 2024, Pakistan recorded at least 71 cases, with the virus found in nearly 90 districts.