Polio case from North Waziristan brings 2025 tally to 31

News Desk

Islamabad: Pakistan has reported another case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) from North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the country’s total polio cases in 2025 to 31, health authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, confirmed that the virus was detected in a four-month-old girl from Union Council Spinwam-2 in North Waziristan. The child developed symptoms in December, and laboratory analysis of collected samples tested positive for WPV1.

This is the fifth polio case reported from North Waziristan this year. Overall, southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounts for more than half of Pakistan’s polio cases in 2025, with 17 of the 31 cases reported from the region.

Last year, Pakistan reported 20 polio cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nine from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Health officials say persistent security challenges in parts of southern KP, including North Waziristan, have restricted consistent access for vaccination teams. These limitations have resulted in immunity gaps, leaving children vulnerable to the paralytic disease.

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Authorities stressed the need to ensure that every child is reached during door-to-door vaccination campaigns and completes the full course of routine immunization. The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has introduced complementary strategies in high-risk areas, including engagement with local influencers and the provision of integrated health services such as nutrition support and routine vaccinations.

While overall detections of poliovirus have declined compared to 2024—reflecting the impact of vaccination campaigns conducted in 2025—virus circulation continues in certain high-risk districts, underscoring the need for sustained and targeted interventions.

Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. Repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for children under the age of five, along with timely routine immunization, remain the only effective means of protection.

The PEI said it is intensifying efforts in vulnerable areas under the 2025–26 national roadmap, endorsed by the National Task Force, which emphasizes repeated nationwide campaigns and stronger routine immunization systems.

As part of these efforts, the first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2026 will be held from February 2 to 8, aiming to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five across the country, including southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Health officials urged parents and caregivers to ensure their children are vaccinated in every campaign, stressing that polio eradication requires collective action from families, communities, religious leaders, and the media.

For information, citizens may contact the Sehat Tahaffuz Helpline at 1166 or the Polio Helpline on WhatsApp at 0346-7776546.