Pakistan reports 2 more polio cases, tally reaches 21 for this year

Islamabad: Pakistan has reported two new poliovirus cases, taking the tally of the crippling disease to 21 this year, according to a media report on Monday.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic, according to the World Health Organisation.

The fresh cases were reported in the Kohistan Lower district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the Badin district of Sindh province, Geo News reported.

The victim from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a six-year-old girl, while a 21-month-old girl was infected by the disease in Sindh, the report said, quoting the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH).

With this, the total number of cases in the country in 2025 has reached 21, including 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and six from Sindh.

One case each has been recorded from the country's Punjab province and the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Despite authorities' efforts to eradicate the crippling disease, polio cases are rising in the country.

Earlier this month, the 19th polio case for the year was confirmed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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, according to the report.

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.