Pakistan reports three fresh polio cases, taking 2025 tally to 17

Arab News

6 days ago

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities on Sunday reported three new polio cases across the country, taking the 2025 tally to 17 amid Islamabad's efforts to eliminate the disease.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects young children and can cause permanent paralysis. There is no cure, but it can be prevented through multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and a complete routine immunization schedule, experts say.
Pakistan, one of only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic, the other being neighboring Afghanistan, has made significant gains in recent decades. Annual cases have fallen dramatically from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to single digits by 2018.
However, the country has witnessed a worrying resurgence recently. Pakistan reported 74 cases in 2024, raising alarms among health officials and global partners supporting the eradication campaign. In contrast, only six cases were recorded in 2023 and just one in 2021.
'The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has confirmed three new polio cases— two from the districts of Lakki Marwat and North Waziristan in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one from District Umerkot in Sindh,' Pakistan's National Emergencies Operation Center said.
The new cases include a 15-month-old girl from District Lakki Marwat, a six-month-old girl from North Waziristan district and a 60-month-old boy from District Umerkot, the statement said.
Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has reported the highest number of polio cases this year, 10, followed by five from Sindh and one each from Punjab and northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The NEOC noted that despite 'substantial progress' in polio eradication efforts, the new polio cases underscore the persistent risk to children, especially in areas where vaccine acceptance remains low.
'It is crucial for communities to understand that poliovirus can resurface wherever immunity gaps exist,' it said. 'Every unvaccinated child is at risk and can also pose a risk to others.'
The NEOC said an anti-polio vaccination campaign is currently underway, which was launched from July21-27 in Pakistan's union councils bordering Afghanistan.
It added that a polio vaccination campaign using doses of the IPV (Inactivated Polio Vaccine) and OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine) was started in southwestern Balochistan's Chaman District on July 21, adding that the same campaign will expand to six more districts in the province starting from July 28.
The NEOC urged parents to cooperate with frontline polio workers in getting children vaccinated.
'Communities can protect themselves by actively supporting vaccination efforts, addressing misinformation, and encouraging others to vaccinate their children,' it added.
Despite decades of effort, Pakistan's polio eradication drive has faced persistent challenges, including misinformation about vaccines and resistance from conservative religious and militant groups who view immunization campaigns with suspicion.
Some clerics have claimed the vaccines are a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or part of intelligence operations.
Vaccination teams and police providing security have also been targeted in militant attacks, particularly in remote and conflict-affected areas of KP and Balochistan. These threats have at times forced the suspension of campaigns and restricted access to vulnerable populations.