ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported another polio virus case from Sindh’s Larkana district on Saturday, making it the third wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2025.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed the detection of the polio virus.
“This is the second polio case reported from Sindh this year, bringing the total number of cases to two in Sindh and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” a statement from the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme said.
Last year in 2024, the country reported a total of 74 cases, out of which 27 were from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
“The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Program on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood diseases free of charge at health facilities,” the press release read.
Earlier this month, the first nationwide polio campaign of 2025 was successfully concluded, with 99% of the targets achieved across the country.
The campaign was conducted from February 3 to 9, 2025. During this campaign, more than 45 million children were administered the polio vaccine. A second round of the Big Catch-Up activity is currently underway in the country, to vaccinate children up to 5 years with EPI antigens.
