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PESHAWAR, May 21 (APP):The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed two new cases of wild poliovirus in District Lakki Marwat and District Bannu of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
While high-quality polio vaccination campaigns continue nationwide, certain areas—particularly in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—continue to face challenges such as restricted access and difficulties in conducting house-to-house vaccination campaigns, reads a press statement issued by Emergency Operation Center (EOC) KP here on Wednesday.
These access and operational hurdles leave thousands of children particularly in South KP at risk of exposure to poliovirus as a result of missed opportunities for vaccination.
Due to ongoing access constraints and community concerns, children in UC Bakhmal Ahmad Zai (Lakki Marwat) missed out on vaccination opportunities during the February and April 2025 immunization campaigns, resulting in immunity gaps, the statement explained.
In UC Saintanga, Tehsil Wazir (Bannu), no comprehensive campaign has been implemented since October 2023.
Limited access, shortage of female vaccinators, and gaps in monitoring have contributed to immunity gaps, leaving children at continued risk of poliovirus transmission.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme is actively engaging with all stakeholders to address operational and access challenges and to enhance the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns in these high-risk areas. An intensified vaccination schedule is being implemented to interrupt virus transmission and protect children from lifelong paralysis.
The third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2025 is set to begin on 26 May 2025, targeting over 45.4 million children under five years of age across 159 districts, including high-risk areas of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Polio is a highly infectious and debilitating disease with no cure. The only way to protect children is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under five as well as the timely completion of all vaccines offered as part of the essential immunization schedule.
The Programme is calling on all parents to ensure their children do not miss out on any opportunity to receive polio drops. Every dose of polio vaccine provides an opportunity to further strengthen immunity and protection against lifelong paralysis. With polio still a threat, community support is vital—no child should be missed.
With these latest detections, the total number of confirmed polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has risen to 10—five from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one from Punjab.