Pakistan reports first poliovirus case of 2025 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad: Pakistan health authorities on Wednesday reported the first poliovirus case of 2025, signalling another tough year to tackle the menace of the crippling disease.

The National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) reported that the first case was detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan district, which had reported 11 polio cases in 2024.

“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of the first wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2025,” according to an official statement.

In 2024, a total of 73 cases were confirmed throughout the country, with Balochistan topping the ominous list with 27 confirmed cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh with 22 cases each. Punjab and capital Islamabad reported one poliovirus case each.

Pakistan has been struggling to eradicate the virus through its polio eradication programme, which in collaboration with the expanded programme on immunisation has been conducting nationwide mass vaccination campaigns.

The first nationwide vaccination campaign of 2025 will commence on February 3 and the polio teams will specifically target the affected regions of the country.

The health authorities have urged parents to ensure that all children under the age of five receive the vaccine during the campaign.

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan.