Two new polio cases reported in KP as Pakistan's tally rises to 26 in 2025

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has confirmed two new cases of poliovirus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing Pakistan’s total number of cases in 2025 to 26.

According to the laboratory, the latest cases were detected in a 19-month-old girl from Union Council Mir Ali, North Waziristan, and an 11-month-old girl from Union Council Suleman Khel, Lakki Marwat.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains the most affected province, with 18 cases reported so far this year. Sindh has recorded six cases, while Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan have reported one each.

Health officials emphasised that polio remains a highly infectious and incurable disease, with repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) serving as the only effective protection. Children in areas with low vaccine acceptance and limited access remain at particular risk.

Pakistan’s polio surveillance system also conducted 126 environmental tests across 87 districts in August. Of these, 51 samples tested positive for poliovirus.

Sindh recorded the highest share with 24 positive samples, followed by Punjab with 14, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 10, and one each in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad. Encouragingly, Balochistan showed a significant decline in positive sites, dropping from 19 in January to just one in August.

Last month, two additional cases were reported in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a 16-month-old girl from Tank and a 24-month-old girl from North Waziristan.