Pakistan polio toll in 2025 reaches 30 as new cases surface in KP

• A twelve month old boy from Ghari Union Council was infected.
• The September surveillance identified 44 positive sewage samples.
• Sindh records the highest number of positive detections.

A new case of wild poliomyelitis (WPV1) has been confirmed in Torghar district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, by the Regional Polio Eradication Reference Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, bringing the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 to 30.

The virus was detected in a 12-month-old boy from Union Council Ghari, Torghar, marking the second case from the district. The provincial breakdown includes 19 cases from KP, nine from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan.

Environmental surveillance continued in September 2025, with the Pakistan Polio Program collecting 127 wastewater samples from 87 areas across the country.

Of these, 81 were negative and 44 tested positive for the polio virus, while two samples are still being processed. Provincially, Balochistan recorded 21 negative and two positive samples. Punjab had 22 negatives, eight positives and one under processing, and KP reported 24 negatives and 10 positives.

Sindh reported seven negatives, 21 positives and one under processing. Islamabad had four negatives and one positive. Azad Jammu and Kashmir returned three negatives, while Gilgit-Baltistan reported one negative and one positive.

Officials say overall positive tests have declined, reflecting the impact of recent high-quality vaccination campaigns, but the virus remains circulating in specific high-risk areas, underscoring the need for continued, targeted efforts to stop transmission.

Polio is highly contagious and incurable, with the potential to cause lifelong paralysis. Effective protection depends on repeated doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five years of age during each campaign, along with timely completion of all routine vaccinations.

The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has intensified operations to maintain comprehensive coverage and ensure high-quality campaigns in vulnerable areas. The National Task Force endorsed the 2025–26 roadmap for stopping transmission through multiple complementary vaccination activities and by strengthening routine immunization.

The fourth national polio vaccination campaign for 2025 concluded last week, reaching over 44 million children, while the campaign in South KP is underway from October 20 to 23.

Eradication remains a shared responsibility. More than 400,000 frontline workers continue door-to-door vaccination and parents and carers are urged to ensure children receive all recommended doses, including routine vaccinations.

Community leaders, teachers, religious scholars and the media can further support by combating misinformation and encouraging uptake so that every child is protected and Pakistan stays on track for a polio-free future.