ISLAMABAD  -  One new poliovirus case was confirmed each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, bringing Pakistan’s total count this year to 21, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Monday. Pakistan will start a new anti-polio campaign from September 1. The fresh cases were reported from the Lower Dir area of district Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Badin area of Sindh. A statement from Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s NIH said latest cases involve a six-year-old girl from Union Council Pattan in KP’s Kohistan district, and a 21-month-old girl from UC Matli-2 in Sindh’s Badin. “With these detections, total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 21, including 13 from KP, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan,” statement noted. Polio was a highly infectious and incurable disease that could cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection against debilitating virus is through repeated administration of oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunisations, statement said.

It added that from September 1 to 7, a sub-national polio vaccination campaign will take place, targeting more than 28 million children under the age of five in 99 districts across all provinces and regions.

“The campaign in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be conducted from 15 September. The goal is to ensure every child in these districts receives the vaccine to protect them from the lifelong consequences of polio,” it said.

It added that the campaign was part of the ongoing efforts to quickly strengthen immunity among children and close existing protection gaps.

“Parents and caregivers are strongly urged to ensure their children receive the polio vaccine during this and every campaign.”

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah expressed concern over the polio case in the province, according to a statement from the chief secretary’s spokesperson, Farhat Imtiaz Janwari.

NEOC appealed to the parents to administer their children polio vaccine to ensure their bright future and also complete the injection course timely.

NEOC stated that parents and the community can play a vital role in the anti-polio campaign. NEOC urged the people to cooperate with polio workers during the anti-polio campaign.

Polio is a paralysing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five are essential to provide children with high immunity against this terrible disease.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress.