Pakistan’s health authorities have confirmed two new cases of wild poliovirus type 1, detected in Sindh’s Kambar and Punjab’s Mandi Bahauddin, bringing the 2025 total to five cases. A laboratory official explained that the case from Sindh marks the third reported instance in the province this year, while the case in Punjab is the first from that region, with prior cases in 2025 identified in Sindh’s Badin and Larkana districts as well as in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In 2024, Pakistan reported a total of 74 polio cases, with the majority recorded in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh, while Punjab and Islamabad each contributed one case. This alarming increase has intensified the country's vaccination efforts, including a nationwide campaign and subsequent fractional IPV-OPV drives conducted in Quetta and Karachi in February, aimed at preventing further spread of the virus.

Local authorities have also taken measures against vaccine hesitancy. In Quetta, for instance, officials detained individuals who resisted vaccinating their children, and after persistent efforts, several reluctant parents ultimately agreed to have their children immunized. Health experts emphasize that although polio is highly infectious and primarily spread through contamination, the disease can be prevented through proper immunization, offering lifelong protection with multiple doses of the available vaccines.