Pakistan has confirmed its 18th wild poliovirus (WPV1) case of 2025, raising serious concerns about declining immunization rates in high‑risk districts. A 10‑month‑old boy from Union Council Mullazai in Tank district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, tested positive, marking the province’s eleventh reported case this year. Southern KP continues to struggle with low vaccine uptake and limited access in underserved communities.

Despite conducting six major polio vaccination campaigns since September 2024, including four large national drives reaching over 45 million children each, thousands of children in southern KP remain unreached. Barriers include access constraints, operational challenges in house‑to‑house vaccinations, and prevalent vaccine hesitancy in rural and conflict‑affected zones.

Pakistan is one of only two countries globally, along with Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus remains endemic. Health authorities emphasize that every unvaccinated child is at risk, and immunity gaps can allow polio to re‑emerge. Polio causes irreversible paralysis, and the only effective protection is repeated oral polio vaccine (OPV) doses for children under five during each immunization drive, along with completion of all routine vaccinations.

The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has announced further vaccination plans, including two additional nationwide campaigns and one sub-national campaign between August and December 2025, targeting high-risk districts such as southern KP. Officials are urging caregivers to ensure all children receive every vaccine dose and to support frontline polio workers, combat misinformation, and reinforce community participation in vaccination drives.

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