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Pakistan Confirms 30th Polio Case as Nationwide Drive Tops 44 Million Vaccinations

Global funding cuts are forcing a sharper focus on high‑risk zones.

Overview

  • Lab tests confirmed wild poliovirus in a 12‑month‑old boy in Torghar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising Pakistan’s 2025 total to 30.
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounts for 19 cases this year, with nine in Sindh and one each in Punjab and Gilgit‑Baltistan, officials said.
  • The latest national campaign has vaccinated more than 44 million children toward a 45 million goal, with a focused phase in south KP running Oct 20–23 to reach roughly one million children in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions.
  • Environmental surveillance in September found poliovirus in 44 of 127 sewage samples from 87 districts, with Sindh reporting the most positive detections.
  • Security threats and entrenched misinformation continue to impede teams, as global partners tighten efforts in high‑risk areas following a 30% GPEI budget cut from 2026 and a $1.7 billion gap through 2029.