Islamabad: A 19-month-old boy from Union Council Miranshah-3, District North Waziristan in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been confirmed as Pakistan’s 14th polio case of 2025, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, announced on Tuesday.
With this case, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s total rises to eight this year, followed by four cases in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The child’s infection highlights the ongoing vulnerability in southern KP, where restricted access and resistance to house-to-house vaccination are leaving thousands of children unprotected.
In response, 17,485 children were vaccinated in six union councils of Bannu during a recent campaign (June 23–28), and a similar targeted effort is being prepared in 11 UCs of North Waziristan.
A large-scale special polio vaccination campaign is also planned for August across South KP, where most cases are emerging.
Health officials urge parents to ensure every child under five receives repeated oral polio vaccine (OPV) doses, warning that missed children remain at serious risk of lifelong paralysis.
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