Islamabad:
The regional reference laboratory for the eradication of polio at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, confirmed a case of polio in the northern Waziristan district, South Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. A 19-month-old boy from the Miranshah-3 Union council was identified as the eighth KP polio affair this year.
With this last detection, the total number of polio cases reported in Pakistan in 2025 has increased to 14 – including eight from KP, four from Sindh and one from Punjab and Gilgit -Baltistan.
Polio is a very infectious and incurable disease that can cause life paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for each child under five during each campaign, as well as timely completion of all essential immunizations.
Although the national efforts to eradicate polio continue to improve the quality of vaccination campaigns, southern Khyberkhwa districts remain a major concern due to limited access and challenges in making home vaccination at home. These obstacles are reflected in missed opportunities, leaving thousands of non -vaccinated and vulnerable children to poliovirus.
A special vaccination activity was carried out in six union advice from Bannu from June 23 to 28, during which 17,485 children received the oral polio vaccine (OPV). A similar targeted vaccination campaign is scheduled in 11 union councils in northern Waziristan.
In addition, preparations are underway for a large -scale special vaccination campaign at South Kp, scheduled for August.
Recent polio cases in southern KP are a brutal reminder that children missed during vaccination campaigns remain at serious risks. While the program does everything possible to reach each child, the role of parents is critical.
