Pakistan's Ongoing Struggle Against Polio: New Cases Emerge

A new poliovirus case in Pakistan raises this year's total to 30. The case was identified in a child from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has been the primary area of concern. Despite a drop in positive detections due to vaccination efforts, polio remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A new poliovirus case has emerged in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, raising the nation's total to 30 for the year, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Tuesday. The case involves a one-year-old boy from Torghar district, marking the second incident in this district for the year, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad's NIH stated.

This development brings the total number of polio cases in 2025 to 30, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounting for 19, Sindh nine, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. The Pakistan Polio Programme, in September, collected 127 sewage samples from 87 districts, revealing 44 positives, 81 negatives, and two still in process.

Balochistan showed 21 negative samples and two positive, while Punjab reported 22 negative, eight positive, and one pending. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had 24 negative, 10 positive, Sindh seven negative, 21 positive, and one under process. Islamabad and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir reported mixed results as well. Challenges like security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation hinder eradication, yet numbers of unvaccinated children are dropping amid campaigns.

(With inputs from agencies.)