Islamabad [Pakistan], August 27 (ANI): Two more poliovirus cases have been reported in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), raising Pakistan's total to 23 this year, Dawn reported, citing the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The latest cases involve a 16-month-old girl from Union Council Mullazai in Tank district and a 24-month-old girl from Union Council Miran Shah-3 in North Waziristan district, Dawn added.

Pakistan is among the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges including security concerns, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation continue to slow progress, Dawn noted.

A statement from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad's NIH said, 'With these detections, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 23, including 15 cases from KP, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.'

'Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunisations. Despite significant progress, the continued detection of polio cases, particularly in Southern KP, remains a serious concern,' the statement added.

The statement highlighted that children in hard-to-access areas and those with low vaccine acceptance remain most at risk, with national and provincial Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) taking measures to implement high-quality vaccination campaigns, Dawn reported.

It added that the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication has developed a vaccination campaign scheduled for the upcoming low transmission season. 'The first campaign of the season will be conducted from September 1 to 7, while in southern KP, the campaign will commence on September 15, targeting more than 28 million children under the age of five,' the statement said.

'The aim is to ensure that every child in these districts is vaccinated against polio as part of ongoing efforts to rapidly strengthen immunity and address existing protection gaps,' it added, urging parents and caregivers to ensure children receive the polio vaccine during this and upcoming campaigns.

'Polio eradication is a shared responsibility. While frontline health workers continue to deliver critical vaccines to children, parents and caregivers play an important role by ensuring their children receive all recommended doses of the polio vaccine and complete their routine immunisations,' the statement noted.

'Communities can protect their children by actively supporting vaccination efforts, countering misinformation, and encouraging others to vaccinate.'

Last week, two poliovirus cases were reported, involving a six-year-old girl from KP's Kohistan district and a 21-month-old girl from Sindh's Badin, Dawn reported.

Earlier this month, poliovirus was detected in 36 per cent of samples across 87 districts nationwide tested in July. (ANI)