Pakistan reports another polio case, nationwide tally jumps to 24

Pakistan has reported its 24th polio case of 2025 after a 20-month-old girl from Tank district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, tested positive for the virus.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed on Monday that the child, a resident of Union Council Ping A in Tehsil Jandola, belongs to the Bettani tribe.

Health officials said the girl had no travel history, indicating that the virus continues to circulate locally in areas where vaccination campaigns face restrictions.

With the new detection, the tally for this year has risen to 16 cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan. Fourteen of the cases reported from KP in 2025 originated in the southern part of the province, making it the current epicentre of the outbreak.

Officials at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) described the development as “alarming but not unexpected,” pointing to persistent challenges in accessing children in security-compromised districts, including Tank, North and South Waziristan, and adjoining tribal regions.

“Such pockets allow the virus to survive and spread, posing risks to the rest of the country,” one official noted.

Meanwhile, a nationwide anti-polio campaign began on Monday, targeting over 28 million children under the age of five across 99 districts. More than 240,000 health workers are taking part in the drive, which also includes Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad.