Pakistan reports 14th polio case in North Waziristan

A new polio case has been reported in the North Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad confirmed this on Tuesday.

The case involves a 19-month-old boy from Union Council Miranshah-3, North Waziristan, making it the eighth polio case from K-P this year. The total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 now stands at 14, including eight from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is repeated doses of the polio vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, along with timely completion of all essential immunisations.

Efforts to eradicate polio nationwide are ongoing, with a focus on improving the quality of vaccination campaigns. However, challenges persist in the southern districts of K-P due to limited access and difficulties in conducting house-to-house vaccinations.

These challenges result in missed opportunities, leaving many children unvaccinated and at risk of contracting the poliovirus.

A special vaccination activity took place in six union councils of Bannu from June 23 to 28, where 17,485 children received the vaccine. A similar targeted vaccination drive is being planned for 11 union councils of North Waziristan.

Preparations are also underway for a large-scale special vaccination campaign in southern K-P, scheduled for August.