Fresh polio case in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank takes nationwide tally to 24

A fresh polio case was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, taking the nationwide tally to 24, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Monday.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress.

According to NIH, the latest case was detected in a 20-month-old infant in the southern KP’s Tank district, taking the province’s total tally to 16. Fifteen of them have been detected in southern KP, according to the NIH.

Last week, the KP government launched a polio immunisation campaign, with emphasis on the south of the province, where polio teams faced the most resistance.

The latest case has taken the total cases recorded in 2025 to 24, according to NIH — including 16 from KP, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Noting the prevalence of polio in the south of KP, the NIH said, “A comprehensive strategic Roadmap for Polio eradication in Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been developed and finalised.

“The plan incorporates microplanning innovations, gap analyses, and targeted strategies and interventions to address persistent challenges,” it added.

To deal with growing cases in the region, NIH stated that a campaign will be carried out in the south of the province — set to run from September 15 to 18.

Part of an immunisation campaign announced last week, the three-day drive aims to target Bannu, Bajaur and seven districts of the Dera Ismail Khan division.

In its statement, the NIH appealed to parents to cooperate with polio teams and complete their child’s immunisation course.

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, along with the timely completion of all essential immunisations.