Two new cases of polio virus in the south of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have been detected, carrying the national count to 26 on Monday, the National Health Institutes (NIH) said on Monday.
Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, where polyomyelitis remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate virus, challenges such as safety problems, vaccine vaccine and erroneous information have slowed progress.
According to a press release issued by the NIH, one of the cases was detected in the Mir Ali Tehsil in Waziristan del Norte in a 19 -month -old baby, while the other case was confirmed in an 11 -month -old baby in the Suleman Khel Tehsil of Lakki Marwat.
The two new cases have taken the total number of cases reported in KP to 18, the highest in any province in the country. The national count is now in 26, with six cases of Sindh, 18 of KP and one from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltist, said Nih.
Detailing the results of the environmental wastewater samples of August with respect to polyomyelitis, collected from 87 districts throughout the country, the NIH said: “Of the 126 proven environmental samples, 75 were found negative without detected poliovirus, while 51 samples gave positive.”
According to NIH, of a total of 23 proven samples for Baluchistan polyomyelitis, only one was positive, while in KP, 34 proven samples, 10 were positive.
Punjab registered 14 polio-positive samples, 31 proven; The polio virus was found in 24 of the 29 samples tested in Sindh, 12 of which were in Karachi, according to the NIH.
One sample was positive for the virus in GB and Islamabad.
“Balochistan reported a marked reduction, with only a positive environmental site in July and August, below January 19,” said the press release.
“In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, positive environmental sites fell from April 13 to 10 to August,” he said, adding that “seven of the 10 positive sites were in the south of the province, while all Peshawar samples gave negative for the virus.
“In Islamabad, the number of positive environmental sites has decreased from Tres in July to one in August,” said the press release.
NiH expressed concern about “continuous detection of cases, particularly in southern KP,” indicating that “children living in areas difficult to achieve and those in communities with low acceptance of vaccines remain more at risk.”
In relation to that, a subnational polio campaign began today in southern KP and will run over the next three days until September 18.
“A special action plan for the south of KP and [is] When implemented under the supervision of Chief Secretary KP, focusing on strengthening monitoring, addressing access challenges and promoting initiatives directed by the community to reach children not reached in high -risk areas, ”reads the statement.
KP chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah, “directed urgent and intensified efforts to ensure that no child is without vaccination,” said the press release.
“Earlier this month, the National Emergency Operations Center carried out a subnational polio vaccination campaign from September 1 to 7, 2025 in 81 districts from all over the country, successfully reaching more than 19.8 million children under five years of age,” he added.
Nih urged parents and caregivers to play their role in helping to eradicate polyomyelitis.
Poly is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause life paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for each child under five years during each campaign, along with the timely completion of all essential immunizations.
