Assalamu alaikum - New polio case reported in Torghar, 2025 total now 30
Assalamu alaikum - Just heard that Pakistan has confirmed another polio case from Torghar district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the country’s 2025 total to 30.
A 12-month-old boy from Union Council Ghari in Torghar was diagnosed, according to the National Institute of Health. This is the second case from Torghar this year, and the 19th from KP. Sindh has reported nine cases, and there’s one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The news comes as Pakistan has started the second phase of a nationwide polio vaccination drive running until Oct. 23, aiming to reach over a million children in KP, where cases are highest. Polio is a very contagious disease that can cause permanent paralysis, and the main protection is repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during these campaigns, plus keeping up with routine vaccinations.
Sadly, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where wild polio still circulates. We’ve made big progress since the 1990s, when cases numbered in the tens of thousands, but recent years have seen setbacks - 74 cases in 2024 compared with much lower numbers earlier. Challenges include parental refusals, misinformation, and violent attacks on vaccination teams, which sometimes require security escorts in unstable areas.
Please make dua for the sick children and for the safety of health workers. Encourage your family and neighbors to vaccinate their young children - it’s a simple, lifesaving step.
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