Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], June 28 (ANI): A new case of polio has been reported in Pakistan, raising the overall tally of cases in 2025 to 13. The National Institute of Health's Regional Reference Laboratory confirmed the virus in an 18-month-old girl from Union Council Amakhel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Tank district, The News International reported.

The latest case is the seventh polio case reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2025, demonstrating the concerns over virus circulation in high-risk zones. So far, four polio cases have been reported in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan.

On June 22, the Regional Reference Laboratory at NIH Islamabad confirmed a case of wild poliovirus in a 33-month-old boy from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district.

Last week, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme stated that poliovirus was detected in environmental samples taken from seven different districts of Pakistan.

The programme stated virus was detected in environmental samples from Gwadar, Quetta, South Waziristan (lower) and South Waziristan (upper). In addition, environmental samples collected from Mirpurkhas, Rawalpindi and Larkana also contained poliovirus, The News International reported.

Meanwhile, Polio Eradication Programme said that environmental samples taken from Pishin and Lahore were free of the poliovirus. According to the anti-poliovirus organisation, nine sewage samples were taken from nine districts in Pakistan from May 8-23, as part of environmental surveillance efforts.

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic nations in the world alongside Afghanistan. The number of polio cases reduced significantly every year in Pakistan until the recent rise in cases. Despite national campaigns being conducted in Pakistan to eradicate polio, southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains a challenge due to access issues and barriers to house-to-house vaccination, leaving many children unvaccinated and vulnerable.

Over 45 million children have been vaccinated as three national campaigns were conducted in February, April and May of 2025, supported by 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 female vaccinators, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Islamabad stated, The News International reported.

Earlier in May, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme officially began its third National Immunisation Days (NIDs) campaign to eradicate polio from Pakistan. As many as 74 polio cases were reported in Pakistan in 2024, with 27 cases in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one case each from Punjab and Islamabad. (ANI)