Pakistan confirmed its second case of type 1 wild poliovirus (WPV1) for 2025, as reported by the regional reference laboratory for the eradication of polio at the National Institute of Health.
Confirmation, published on Wednesday February 12, 2025, came from the Badin district to Sindh.
This follows the first case of the year, reported earlier in the Di Khan district in southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In 2024, Pakistan saw 74 confirmed cases of Polio, with 27 from Balutchistan, 22 of KP, 23 of Sindh, and one from Punjab and Islamabad.
Polio, a disease that causes paralysis and has no remedy, can be avoided by vaccination. The Pakistani Polio program highlights the importance of the multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and the completion of the routine vaccination calendar for all children under the age of five.
The government continues to carry out mass vaccination training throughout the year, ensuring that the vaccine reaches children at home.
The first national polio campaign of 2025, carried out from February 3 to 9, successfully reached 99% of its target, vaccinating more than 45 million children. The program also guarantees that each child under five receives polio falls to protect them from the debilitating effects of the virus.
The widening of the vaccination program also provides free vaccinations against 12 infantile diseases in health establishments across the country. Parents are invited to keep their children up to date with vaccinations to prevent the spread of polio and other preventable diseases.
Earlier, three out of five environmental samples taken during the recent anti-political campaign were tested positive for the polio virus, highlighting the continuous presence of the disease in the district.
In response, health officials announced a new anti-political campaign in April, with a particular emphasis on the vaccination of children of migrant families to limit the spread of the virus.
