ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad has confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus (WPV1) in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), taking the country’s total polio cases in 2025 to 31.
According to the National Emergencies Operation Centre, 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 testing of subsequent samples confirmed WPV1, marking the 5th case reported from North Waziristan in the outgone year.
In 2025, the country reported 20 cases from KP, nine from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan (GB).
Southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has accounted for more than half of the country’s cases last year, with 17 of the 31 detections reported from the region, according to the official statement.
Officials said ongoing security challenges in parts of southern KP, including North Waziristan, have restricted consistent access for vaccination teams, resulting in immunity gaps that left children vulnerable to the paralytic disease.
Health authorities stressed the importance of ensuring that every child is vaccinated during each house-to-house campaign and receives complete routine immunisation.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is also implementing complementary measures, particularly in southern KP, including engaging local influencers and offering integrated services such as nutrition support, routine vaccinations and other basic health facilities to improve immunity levels.
Polio is an incurable disease
Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. Authorities reiterated that repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) for children under five, along with timely routine immunisation, remain the only effective protection.
The PEI has stepped up efforts to ensure comprehensive vaccination coverage, particularly in vulnerable regions of the country.
The National Task Force has approved the current year’s roadmap, which prioritises repeated nationwide vaccination campaigns and stronger routine immunisation systems.
In line with the roadmap, the first nationwide polio campaign of 2026 will be held from February 2 to 8 across the country, including southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the aim of targeting more than 45 million children under the age of five.
