Pakistan will start a new anti-polio campaign from September 1, 2025, as the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) reported two more cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh and total polio cases reached to 21 during the current year 2025. The fresh cases were reported from the Lower Dir area of district Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Badin area of Sindh. 

NEOC appealed to the parents to administer their children with 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.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)