ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported its first polio case of 2025 in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, marking an alarming start to the year in the country’s ongoing battle against the crippling disease, the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) confirmed on Wednesday.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio is still endemic. Despite relentless global eradication efforts, challenges such as security threats, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation continue to hinder progress.
According to a press release from NEOC, Islamabad’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirmed that the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in the case, with symptoms first appearing on January 7. DI Khan alone reported 11 cases in 2024, while the total nationwide count last year stood at 73.
Polio’s Persistent Threat
Breaking down last year’s cases, the NEOC reported 27 in Balochistan, 22 in KP, 22 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad. Officials reiterated that polio is an incurable, paralyzing disease, stressing the importance of multiple oral polio vaccine doses to build strong immunity in children under five.
Nationwide Vaccination Drive Begins February 3
To combat the threat, the government has scheduled the first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2025 from February 3 to 9. Parents are urged to ensure their children receive vaccinations to safeguard against the virus.
At a high-level session with the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Polio Eradication in Islamabad, government officials and global health partners expressed optimism about eradicating the virus this year.
Government Reaffirms Commitment
Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Health, Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, reaffirmed the government’s dedication to eliminating polio. He highlighted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s personal commitment, calling polio eradication a national priority and emphasizing efforts to strengthen routine immunization, particularly in high-risk areas.
With intensified vaccination drives and renewed political will, Pakistan is pushing harder than ever to overcome the remaining barriers and eliminate polio once and for all.
