New polio case in KP’s tank district raises nationwide tally to 18

PESHAWAR: A fresh polio case has been confirmed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, pushing the provincial tally to 11 and bringing the national count to 18 so far this year.

According to details shared by the KP Health Department on Friday, the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad confirmed the presence of the poliovirus in a 10-month-old child from the Mullahzai union council of Tank.

#Pakistan #polio

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has confirmed a polio case from District Tank in South #KhyberPakhtunkhwa.

An 18-month-old girl from Union Council Amakhel in District Tank is the…

— Outbreak News Today (@bactiman63) June 27, 2025

On Sunday, two new polio cases were confirmed from KP’s North Waziristan, and Lakki Marwat areas.

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So far in 2025, KP has reported 11 cases: three from Bannu, two each from Tank, Lakki Marwat, and North Waziristan, and one each from Torghar and Dera Ismail Khan.

Nationally, 18 polio cases have been recorded this year, including five from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The new polio case was reported amid growing concerns from the World Health Organization (WHO), which stated earlier in the day that “Pakistan and Afghanistan remain responsible for the international spread of the poliovirus.”

The organisation also said that both countries need enhanced bilateral cooperation to combat the disease.

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Polio vaccination remains mandatory for individuals traveling abroad from Pakistan. WHO also announced that it will review Pakistan’s anti-polio efforts after three months. Pakistan’s polio surveillance will continue during this period.

Last year, Pakistan reported 74 cases, including 27 from Balochistan, 23 from Sindh, 22 from KP, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

Since September 2024, six national polio campaigns have been conducted, each targeting over 45 million children. The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) says two more nationwide drives and one sub-national campaign are planned between August and December 2025, along with focused campaigns in high-risk districts.

To step up eradication efforts in southern KP, the Prime Minister’s focal person for polio and the NEOC coordinator recently met with the KP chief secretary. The meeting addressed operational challenges, particularly in high-risk areas like Tank.

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Sources say KP Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah has taken notice of the rising case count and has called a high-level meeting on August 3 to discuss the situation.