Pak reports 2 more polio cases, nationwide tally reaches 23

Peshawar, Aug 26 (PTI) Pakistan health authorities on Tuesday confirmed two new poliovirus cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, taking the nationwide tally of the crippling disease to 23 this year.

Pakistan is the only country other than Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic.

Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus in the country, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress.

The fresh cases were reported in the Tank and North Waziristan districts, the National Institute of Health (NIH) said in a statement, adding that both the victims are girls aged 16 months and two years.

“With this, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 23, including 15 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan,” the statement said.

Polio is an incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunisations.

Pakistan reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021; however, the country witnessed an intense resurgence of the poliovirus in 2024, with 74 cases reported.

A Sub-National Polio Vaccination Campaign will take place from September 1 to 7, targeting more than 28 million children under the age of five in 99 districts across all provinces and regions, the NIH said.

The campaign in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be conducted from September 15. The goal is to ensure every child in these districts receives the vaccine to protect them from the lifelong consequences of polio, it said. PTI AYZ SCY SCY