A new polio case has been confirmed in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, bringing the nationwide total for 2025 to 18, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH). The latest case involves a 10-month-old boy from Tank district’s Mullazai Union Council. This is the 11th polio case reported in KP this year.

This announcement comes from a press release issued by the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme. The release highlights the ongoing challenge of polio eradication in Pakistan, one of only two countries globally where the disease remains endemic (alongside Afghanistan). Obstacles such as security concerns, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation continue to hamper progress. Last year, Pakistan reported 74 polio cases.

The press release emphasizes the vulnerability of unvaccinated children and stresses the importance of repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under five. Despite improvements in vaccination campaigns, southern KP districts remain a significant concern due to access limitations and operational challenges in house-to-house vaccination efforts. Since September 2024, six campaigns, including four nationwide, have reached over 45 million children. Further campaigns are planned for the coming months.

High-level meetings are underway to address the situation in southern KP, including a meeting between the prime minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication, Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, and the NEOC Coordinator, focusing on improving campaign quality and strengthening routine immunization. A special planning meeting is scheduled for August 2-3 at the KP Chief Secretary’s office.