Overview

• A 23-month-old child in the Diamer district tested positive for polio, marking the region’s first case in nearly seven years.
• It is Pakistan’s 11th polio case since January 2025 despite three nationwide vaccination drives aiming to immunize 45 million children.
• Local police say gunmen opened fire on a polio eradication team in the Tangir Valley days before the new case was confirmed.
• Health officials are probing whether the virus spread from Karachi, where transmission remained active during the summer tourist season.
• Despite support from the World Health Organization and a $1.2 billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledge, militant attacks and misinformation continue to hamper eradication efforts.