Pakistan reports 14th polio case of 2025

ISLAMABAD: The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) has confirmed another polio case in Pakistan, bringing the total number of cases in the country in 2025 to 14.

According to the Polio Reference Laboratory, the latest case was reported from North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a 19-month-old child was diagnosed with the virus.

The breakdown of reported cases included eight from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

In response to the latest case, the National EOC has announced that a special vaccination campaign will soon be launched in 11 union councils of North Waziristan to contain the spread of the virus.

Health authorities have urged parents to ensure their children receive drops in every immunization campaign. They also emphasized the importance of completing routine vaccinations on time to protect children from the virus and other preventable diseases.

Pakistan remains one of the few countries in the world where the poliovirus continues to circulate, making continued vigilance and public cooperation essential for eradication efforts.

Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan has witnessed over 60,000 polio vaccine refusal cases during the anti-polio drive held from April 21 to 27, 2025.

During Pakistan’s second nationwide polio eradication campaign held from April 21 to 27, 2025, a total of 60,906 cases of polio vaccine refusal were reported.

The highest number of refusals came from Sindh, where 39,073 cases were recorded — over 37,000 of them from Karachi alone.

Balochistan also reported over 3,500 cases of polio vaccine refusal. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the polio vaccine refusal rate was reported at 0.4%.

Cases of parental refusal to the anti-polio vaccine were also documented in Punjab and Islamabad.

Authorities remain concerned about vaccine hesitancy, which continues to pose a significant threat to polio eradication efforts in the country