Pakistan has confirmed two new polio cases in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, pushing the country’s total to 26 this year, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These fresh infections highlight the ongoing battle against polio in the region, where the virus remains a stubborn threat despite global efforts.
The first case involves a 19-month-old child from Mir Ali tehsil in North Waziristan. The second struck an 11-month-old infant in Suleman Khel tehsil of Lakki Marwat. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa now leads with 18 cases, the highest in Pakistan. Sindh follows with six, while Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan each report one. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries worldwide where polio is still endemic, facing tough hurdles like security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and false information that slow down eradication.
Environmental checks from August paint a mixed picture. Out of 126 samples tested across Pakistan, 75 came back negative—no poliovirus found. But 51 tested positive, showing the virus lingers in many spots. In Balochistan, just one of 23 samples was positive, a big drop from 19 positives back in January. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw 10 positives out of 34, mostly in the southern areas, though Peshawar’s samples were all clear. Punjab had 14 out of 31 positive, Sindh 24 out of 29 (with 12 in Karachi), and one each in Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad.
The NIH noted some progress: Positive sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fell from 13 in April to 10 in August, and Islamabad’s dropped from three in July to one. Still, experts worry about southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where hard-to-reach kids and low vaccine uptake put communities at high risk.
To fight back, a three-day vaccination drive kicked off Monday in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Under Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah’s watch, the plan ramps up monitoring, tackles access barriers, and boosts community efforts to vaccinate every child in risky zones. Shahab Ali Shah stressed urgent action so no kid gets missed.
Just earlier this month, from September 1-7, a nationwide push in 81 districts reached over 19.8 million children under five. The NIH calls on parents to join the fight—polio spreads fast, causes permanent paralysis, and has no cure. The best shield? Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine for every child under five, plus full routine immunizations. Let’s keep pushing to wipe out polio for good.
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