The regional reference laboratory for the eradication of polyomyelitis at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed two new cases of wild poliovirus, which raises the total number of cases reported in Pakistan this year to 23.
According to official sources, the new cases were detected in the south of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), one of which of the district and the Northern Wazirist district.
Affected children include a 16-month-old girl from the Mullazai Union Council in Tank, and a two-year-old girl from the Miran Shah-3 Union Council in North Wazirist.
With these last detections, the province of KP represents 15 of the 23 total cases reported in 2025. Sindh has reported six cases, while Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan have registered one case each.
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Health officials reiterated that polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease, which often leads to permanent paralysis in children.
They subtracted that the only reliable protection remains the repeated administration of the Polyomyelitis (OPV) vaccine to each child under five years during each national campaign, together with the total compliance with routine immunization schedules.
Although it recognizes the progress made to reduce cases of polyomyelitis in recent years, the authorities expressed concern about the persistent transmission of the virus, particularly in parts of southern KP.
They attributed the continuous risk of children in areas of difficult access and communities with low vaccine acceptance.
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To address the situation, the National and Provincial Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) have intensified efforts to guarantee high quality vaccination campaigns.
The National Emergency Operations Center has ended a comprehensive vaccination calendar for the next season of low transmission, with the aim of stopping a greater propagation of the virus.
The first season of the season is scheduled for September 1 to 7, with a campaign focused on southern KP that will begin on September 15. More than 28 million children under five years are expected to be vaccinated during this national door campaign.
“The objective is to ensure that no child is left behind,” said a senior official, and stressed that “rapidly increasing immunity levels in high -risk areas is essential to interrupt the transmission.”
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According to a report published in May 2025, there were 17,136 cases of rejection in Peshawar, the largest number of people who decrease to allow the administration of vaccines against polio to their children.
Other areas include Mardan, 6,812 cases; Bannu, 10,781, Lakki Marwat, 976; Di Khan, 2,128; and Kohat, 1,009.
Shafiullah Khan, the Coordinator of the EOC in KP, said that awareness campaigns through the media were playing a vital role, and the number of parents who reject vaccination had been decreasing significantly.
“Once there were thousands of rejections, now there are only a few areas left, and efforts are being made to address them too,” Khan said. He recognized the challenges in the fight against polyomyelitis, pointing out the lack of access to communication and ongoing security concerns in tribal districts as important concerns.
