The National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad has confirmed three new wild poliovirus cases in Pakistan, bringing the total for 2025 to 17. Two cases were identified in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Lakki Marwat and North Waziristan), and one was reported from Umerkot in Sindh.

The affected children include a 15-month-old girl from Lakki Marwat, a 6-month-old girl from North Waziristan, and a 5-year-old boy from Umerkot. The 2025 breakdown now stands at 10 cases in KP, five in Sindh, and solitary cases in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Health officials warn that despite past success in reducing polio cases, the emergence of fresh infections underscores the ongoing risk in regions with low vaccine acceptance and immunity gaps.

A targeted anti-polio campaign is underway from July 21–27 in high-risk union councils along the Afghanistan border, coinciding with Afghanistan’s immunization efforts. A fractional IPV-OPV campaign began in District Chaman on July 21 and is expanding to six other districts in Balochistan starting July 28.

Authorities stress that full immunization remains the only effective protection against polio. They urge parents to ensure children under five receive every dose of the oral polio vaccine (OPV), highlighting that any unvaccinated child could serve as a gateway for virus transmission to others.