Pakistan Reports 13th Polio Case of 2025 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad — Pakistan has confirmed its 13th polio case of 2025. The Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) detected the virus in an 18-month-old girl from Union Council Amakhel in District Tank, South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This is the seventh polio case reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) this year. The rising numbers have raised concern about the virus still spreading in high-risk areas.

So far in 2025, four polio cases have come from Sindh, one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the recent case from KP.

On Sunday, the NIH also confirmed a wild poliovirus case in a 33-month-old boy from Bannu district in KP.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme recently found poliovirus in environmental samples from seven districts. These include Quetta, Gwadar, and both upper and lower South Waziristan areas. Other affected areas with positive environmental samples are Larkana, Rawalpindi, and Mirpurkhas.

However, some good news came as samples from Pishin and Lahore were declared free of the poliovirus.

The Programme collected nine sewage samples from nine districts between May 8 and 23 as part of ongoing environmental surveillance.

Polio is a highly contagious disease. It mostly affects children under five years old. The virus attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis or death. While there is no cure, vaccination remains the best way to protect children.

Pakistan is one of only two countries where polio is still common, the other being Afghanistan. Though cases had dropped significantly, the recent increase worries health officials.

Southern KP faces difficulties in vaccination efforts. Problems like limited access and resistance to house-to-house immunization leave many children vulnerable.

In 2025, Pakistan held three national polio campaigns—in February, April, and May—reaching over 45 million children. The campaigns were supported by around 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 female vaccinators.

Last month, the Polio Eradication Programme started its third National Immunisation Days (NIDs) campaign to speed up efforts toward a polio-free Pakistan.

In 2024, Pakistan reported 74 polio cases. Balochistan had 27, Sindh 23, KP 22, and Punjab and Islamabad had one case each.