KARACHI: Pakistan has confirmed two new cases of poliovirus in the southern province of Sindh, raising the nationwide tally this year to 29, the National Institute of Health (NIH) said on Monday.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the NIH said the new infections were detected in two girls, one each from the Badin and Thatta districts of Sindh, as the country continues its efforts to eradicate the crippling disease.

“With these two cases, both girls, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 29 – including 18 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nine from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan,” the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said in a statement.

Authorities conducted a Sub-National Polio Vaccination Campaign across 88 districts in September, including Badin and Thatta, which “successfully reached nearly 21 million children under the age of five,” according to the NEOC.

The next nationwide campaign will run from Oct. 13–19 and aims to vaccinate around 45.4 million children under five.

“During the campaign, Vitamin A will also be administered alongside the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) to boost children’s immunity levels,” the statement said, adding that more than 400,000 frontline workers will go door-to-door to ensure every eligible child is protected.

The statement urged communities, teachers, religious leaders and the media to “play a vital role by supporting vaccination efforts, countering misinformation, and encouraging others to vaccinate so that every child is protected.”

“Together, we can ensure a polio-free future for every child in Pakistan,” it added.

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 for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains an endemic. Pakistan recorded 74 cases in 2024, a sharp rise from six in 2023 and just one in 2021.

Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted and killed in attacks.