Two new polio cases confirmed in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)
ISLAMABAD: The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has confirmed two new polio cases in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising Pakistan’s total number of cases this year to 23.
According to the NEOC, the newly affected children are from Tank district and North Waziristan, two areas that continue to face challenges in ensuring vaccination access. The Centre reiterated that polio is an incurable viral disease that can lead to lifelong paralysis, adding that children in hard-to-reach locations or those whose families refuse vaccination remain at the highest risk.
Upcoming nationwide polio immunization campaign
To curb the spread of the poliovirus, the NEOC announced that a high-quality nationwide vaccination campaign will begin on September 1, targeting over 28 million children across 99 districts. In southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the latest cases were reported, the campaign is scheduled to launch on September 15.
The NEOC emphasized that sustained and repeated immunization drives are critical to protecting every child under five from paralysis caused by the poliovirus. Health experts continue to urge parents and caregivers to cooperate fully with vaccination teams to ensure Pakistan achieves its long-standing goal of eradicating polio.
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