Pakistan has confirmed its third case of wild polio virus Type 1 in 2025, with the latest case reported from the Larkana district in Sindh province.
This marks the second polio case in Sindh this year, bringing the total number of cases in the province to two, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has reported one case, Express News reported.
According to the Polio Eradication Programme, 74 polio cases were reported across the country in 2024, with the highest number from Balochistan (27 cases), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (22 cases), Sindh (23 cases), and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
The first nationwide polio campaign of 2025, held from February 3 to 9, successfully reached 99% of its targets, vaccinating over 45 million children against the virus.
Currently, Pakistan is in the midst of its second round of catch-up activities, focusing on administering EPI antigens to children under the age of five.
In line with the Pakistan Polio Programme, a fractional IPV-OPV polio campaign is being launched in the Quetta Division and Karachi on February 20 and 22, aiming to vaccinate approximately 1 million children.
Despite these ongoing efforts, the country continues to face challenges in eliminating the virus, with cases emerging in different regions, underlining the need for continued vigilance and vaccination drives
