Has Pakistan Confirmed its 11th Polio Case of 2025?

Islamabad, June 2 (NationPress) – Pakistan has reported its 11th instance of wild poliovirus for the year, with the virus identified in a child from the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, according to a statement released by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on Monday.

The ministry indicated that the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed the virus's presence in stool samples collected from a child in the Diamer district.

This detection occurred shortly after the conclusion of the third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year, which was conducted from May 26 to June 1. Health officials reported that the campaign successfully reached over 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts, including areas deemed high-risk.

Health officials have urged parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, emphasizing that the current campaign represents a crucial opportunity to protect children from this debilitating virus, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.

In 2024, Pakistan recorded 74 polio cases, based on official statistics.

Currently, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two nations globally where wild poliovirus continues to be endemic. Polio workers frequently face attacks, particularly in the northwest and southwest regions.

The persistent presence of the virus can be attributed to widespread refusal among the population to vaccinate their children. Health workers have been victims of targeted violence by militant groups opposing anti-polio initiatives in the nation.

The World Health Organization notes that polio is a highly contagious viral illness that primarily affects children under five. The virus spreads from person to person, mainly through the faecal-oral route, or through contaminated food and water, and can lead to paralysis by invading the nervous system.

In 1988, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution aimed at the global eradication of polio, leading to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. This initiative is supported by national governments, the WHO, Rotary International, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and later joined by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Since 1988, wild poliovirus cases have dropped by over 99 percent, from an estimated 350,000 cases in over 125 endemic countries to just 6 reported cases in 2021. Among the three types of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2, and type 3), type 2 was eradicated in 1999, and type 3 was eliminated in 2020. As of 2022, wild poliovirus type 1 remains endemic in just two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.