KARACHI: Pakistan has reported 14th case of polio virus this year in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the country’s polio program said on Tuesday, amid intensifying efforts to eradicate the disease.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five during each campaign, along with timely completion of all essential immunizations.
The virus was detected in a 19-month-old boy in Miranshah-3 union council of KP’s North Waziristan district, according to a reference laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad. KP has reported eight cases of the virus this year, followed by four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The northwestern region, which borders Afghanistan, has long been affected by militancy, with militant groups frequently targeting security forces, government officials and anti-polio vaccination teams.
“While nationwide efforts to eradicate polio continue to improve the quality of vaccination campaigns, the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain a major concern due to limited access and challenges in conducting house-to-house vaccination,” the polio program said.
“These obstacles result in missed opportunities, leaving thousands of children unvaccinated and vulnerable to poliovirus.”
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Islamabad made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018. Pakistan reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021, however, the country witnessed an intense resurgence of the poliovirus in 2024, with 74 cases reported.
Efforts to eradicate the virus have been repeatedly undermined by vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage.
Militant groups have frequently targeted polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them, particularly in KP and Balochistan.
The polio program said it had conducted a special vaccination activity in six union councils of KP’s Bannu district last month and inoculated 17,485 children, and a similar targeted vaccination drive was being planned in 11 union councils of North Waziristan.
“Additionally, preparations are underway for a large-scale special vaccination campaign in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, scheduled for August,” it said, urging parents to ensure their children receive the vaccine.
“Recent polio cases in South KP are a stark reminder that children missed during vaccination campaigns remain at serious risk. While the program is making every effort to reach every child, the role of parents is critical.”
Pakistan reports 14th polio case of this year in troubled northwest
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Pakistan reports 14th polio case of this year in troubled northwest
- Polio program says recent polio cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remind that children missing vaccination remain at serious risk
- Preparations are underway for a large-scale special vaccination campaign in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, scheduled for August
Pakistan, Muslim countries reject Israel’s plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza
- Israel has announced plans to open the Rafah crossing with Egypt for Gaza residents fleeing the enclave
- Muslim nations seek implementation of Trump’s peace plan, establishment of independent Palestinian state
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, together with seven other Arab and Muslim countries, on Friday rejected Israel’s attempt to expel Palestinians by opening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt solely for fleeing Gaza residents, and called for adherence to the peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump’s Gaza plan calls on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the territory and keep the Rafah crossing open from both sides.
However, Israel has continued to restrict aid flows, and its military said on Wednesday the crossing would open in the coming days “exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.”
“The Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the State of Qatar express their deep concern regarding the Israeli statements concerning the opening of the Rafah Crossing in one direction, with the aim of transferring residents of the Gaza Strip into the Arab Republic of Egypt,” said the joint statement circulated in Pakistan by the foreign office.
“The Ministers underscore their absolute rejection of any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land and stress the necessity of the full adherence to the plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, including its provisions on keeping the Rafah Crossing open in both directions, ensuring the freedom of movement for the population, and refraining from compelling any resident of the Gaza Strip to leave,” it continued.
The statement appreciated the US president’s commitment to establishing peace in the region and emphasized the importance of implementing his plan “without delay or obstruction” to help consolidate regional stability.
“The Ministers underscore the need to fully sustain the ceasefire, alleviate civilian suffering, ensure the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip, initiate early recovery and reconstruction efforts, and create the conditions necessary for the Palestinian Authority to resume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip,” the statement added.
They reaffirmed their countries’ readiness to work with the United States and all concerned regional and international actors to achieve “a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in accordance with international legitimacy and the two-state solution,” including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Pakistan’s foreign office circulated the statement after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss regional developments, particularly Gaza.
Dar condemned Israel’s plan to partially reopen the Rafah crossing only for fleeing Gaza residents, calling it a “clear violation” of the region’s peace plan.
