KARACHI: Pakistan has confirmed 19th polio case of this year after a 5-month-old child tested positive for the virus in the northwestern Lakki Marwat district, the country’s polio program said on Tuesday.
The latest infection marks the 12th polio case in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which has long been identified as a high-risk zone for poliovirus transmission due to insecurity, vaccine hesitancy and operational challenges.
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 the timely completion of all essential immunizations.
“The continued detection of polio cases highlights the ongoing threat to children, especially in areas with low vaccine acceptance,” the polio program said. “It is crucial for communities to understand that repeated vaccination is essential to protect every child against poliovirus.”
Despite significant improvements in the quality of polio vaccination campaigns nationwide, the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain a key area of concern due to restricted access, lack of female vaccinators and operational challenges in conducting house-to-house vaccination, according to the polio program.
“These barriers continue to hinder immunization efforts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, leaving thousands of children unvaccinated,” it said. “Multiple doses are needed to build and maintain immunity. Every unvaccinated child remains at risk and may contribute to further transmission of the virus.”
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.
Health authorities will begin their next polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan on September 1, with a special focus on high-risk and priority areas including southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to ensure their children receive polio drops during this important campaign to help protect them from lifelong paralysis,” the polio program said.
