In a concerning development, Pakistan has reported its third case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) this year. The latest case was confirmed in Larkana, Sindh, involving a 54-month-old girl, according to an official from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication. This marks the second polio incident in Sindh in 2025, while the first case was recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan is grappling with a resurgence of the poliovirus, having registered 74 cases last year. The distribution of these cases in 2024 was significant, with 27 reported in Balochistan, 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.
In response to the ongoing threat, the nation launched its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year earlier this month. This effort was soon followed by a fractional injectable polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV) campaign, which took place in Quetta and Karachi on February 20 and 22, respectively. Officials report that approximately one million children were targeted for vaccination during this initiative.
Further efforts are set to commence with a vaccination campaign scheduled from February 24 to 28. This campaign will focus on 104 union councils that either border Afghanistan or host Afghan refugee camps, with a target to vaccinate around 660,000 children.
The re-emergence of polio in Pakistan underscores the critical need for continued vigilance and comprehensive vaccination efforts to prevent further spread of the virus.
