Two new cases of polio have been confirmed in Pakistan, bringing the country’s total this year to 21, Pakistani health officials said Monday.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries where the virus is still endemic. Security challenges, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation continue to hamper eradication efforts.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s National Institutes of Health said the latest cases involved a six-year-old girl from Union Council Pattan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohistan district 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 reached 21 — including 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan,” the statement said.
Polio is a highly infectious, incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under 5, alongside timely routine immunizations, officials said.
A sub-national vaccination campaign is scheduled for Sept. 1–7, targeting more than 28 million children under 5 across 99 districts. In southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the drive will begin Sept. 15.
“The goal is to ensure every child in these districts receives the vaccine to protect them from the lifelong consequences of polio,” the statement said.
Officials urged parents to ensure their children are vaccinated during every campaign.
Last week, poliovirus was detected in 36% of sewage samples collected in July across 87 districts nationwide.
In 2024, Pakistan reported at least 71 cases, with the virus found in nearly 90 districts.
