Pakistan Faces New Polio Challenge Amid Ongoing Eradication Efforts

Pakistan confirmed its second polio case for 2025, highlighting ongoing struggles with eradication efforts. The case was reported in Sindh, adding to last year's 74 cases. Despite a nationwide campaign achieving a 99% vaccination rate, resistance continues, driven by conspiracy theories among Islamist groups.

Pakistan has confirmed its second case of poliovirus for 2025, raising concerns over the nation's ongoing battle against the debilitating disease. Health officials reported the case in the Badin district of Sindh on Wednesday.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1). This latest case follows the first reported incident from Dera Ismail Khan district in South Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa earlier this year.

In response, authorities launched a nationwide polio campaign, achieving a 99% vaccination rate, targeting over 45 million children. However, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio persists, largely due to resistance from Islamist factions viewing the vaccine as a sterilization plot against Muslims.