Polio cases in Pakistan rise to 31 for 2025 after North Waziristan child tests positive

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan’s tally of polio cases for 2025 reached 31 on Tuesday after a sample collected last year in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, confirmed the case. Officials said this is the fifth polio case from North Waziristan in 2025.

The infected child is a four-month-old girl from Union Council Spinwam-2, North Waziristan. Symptoms began in December 2025, and subsequent testing confirmed the presence of WPV1. Lab officials noted that additional samples are under analysis, which may further increase the 2025 tally.

Last year, Pakistan reported 20 cases from KP, nine from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. While the overall trend shows a decline in polio cases compared to 2024, the virus continues to circulate in high-risk areas.

Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis. The only effective protection is repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under five, alongside timely completion of essential immunisations.