Pakistan reports second poliovirus case of 2025

• First polio case of 2025 was reported from DI Khan.
• In 2024, a total of 74 cases of poliovirus reported.
• Polio is a paralysing disease that has no cure.

Second poliovirus case of 2025 has emerged in Pakistan, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed on Wednesday.

The laboratory has confirmed the detection of the second wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2025, stated a press handout released by the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme.

The lab confirmed the fresh polio case from Badin district, Sindh, on February 12. Whereas, the first case of the year was reported from Dera Ismail Khan district in south Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In 2024, a total of 74 cases of poliovirus were reported. Of these, 27 were from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

"Polio is a paralysing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.

As per the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, it conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Programme on Immunisation provides vaccinations against 12 childhood diseases free of charge at health facilities.

"It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected,” it said.

The first nationwide polio campaign of 2025 has been successfully concluded, with 99% of the targets achieved across the country. The campaign was conducted from February 3 to 9.

During this campaign, more than 45 million children were administered the polio vaccine.

In every campaign, the programme said it ensures that children under five years receive polio drops, to protect them from the crippling effects of the poliovirus.

It is important to note that Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, and the number of cases every year had significantly dropped in the country, until the recent spike in cases.

Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme explains that polio is a "paralysing" disease with "no cure" and "the completion of the routine vaccination for all children under the age of five" just provides them "high immunity against this terrible disease".