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New Polio Case in North Waziristan Lifts Pakistan’s 2025 Total to 31

Health teams prepare a February nationwide drive targeting more than 45 million children.

Overview

  • The NIH Regional Reference Laboratory confirmed wild poliovirus type 1 in a four-month-old girl from Spinwam-2, North Waziristan, after she developed symptoms in December.
  • Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounts for 17 of the 31 detections this year, and the North Waziristan case is the district’s fifth of 2025.
  • Officials report that security constraints in parts of southern KP limit access for vaccinators and leave immunity gaps among young children.
  • To address these gaps, the polio program is engaging local influencers and providing integrated nutrition, routine vaccinations and basic health services in high-risk communities.
  • The National Task Force has approved a 2025–26 roadmap focused on repeated nationwide campaigns and stronger routine immunisation, with the next drive set for February 2–8 across Pakistan.