PESHAWAR (Kashmir English): Another case of wild poliovirus has been confirmed in Pakistan, this time affecting a five-month-old child from Union Council Sulemankhel in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
With this, the total number of polio cases in the country in 2025 has risen to 19.
NIH confirms new polio case
National Institute of Health (NIH)’s regional laboratory has formally confirmed the presence of poliovirus in the young child. This is the 12th case reported in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa this year, underlining the region’s continued vulnerability to the virus.
Health authorities are likely to initiate a localised vaccination campaign in the affected area and surrounding communities to prevent further spread of the virus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remains one of the severely-hit provinces in the fight against polio.
Out of the 19 total cases confirmed across the country in 2025, more than 60% are from this province — indicating persistent gaps in immunization coverage, accessibility, and awareness.
