Pakistan’s Polio Fight Continues as Two More Cases Surface

News Desk

Islamabad: The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed two new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Pakistan.

According to the laboratory, one case has been detected in District Kambar, Sindh, and another in District Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab. This marks the third polio case from Sindh and the first from Punjab in 2025, bringing the total number of cases in the country to five.

Last year, in 2024, Pakistan reported 74 polio cases, with 27 from Balochistan, 23 from Sindh, 22 from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure. Ensuring children receive multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completing the routine immunization schedule is critical in providing high immunity against the virus.

To combat the disease, the Polio Programme has been implementing a rigorous vaccination schedule. The first nationwide polio campaign of 2025 successfully vaccinated over 45 million children earlier this month.

Additionally, a fractional inactivated polio vaccine (fIPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV) campaign is underway in Karachi and Quetta Division to immunize nearly one million children, providing them with enhanced immunity.

This initiative aligns with the broader “Big Catch-Up” campaign under the Expanded Programme on Immunization, which aims to immunize children who were missed or under-vaccinated against 12 preventable childhood diseases.

A targeted vaccination campaign in 104 union councils, particularly in areas bordering Afghanistan and those hosting Afghan refugee populations, is also ongoing from February 24-28. This effort aims to vaccinate over 660,000 children and minimize the risk of cross-border and internal poliovirus transmission.

The Polio Programme has urged all parents to ensure their children receive polio vaccinations at every opportunity to safeguard them from this debilitating disease.