Pakistan reports first polio case of 2025 from DI Khan

Last year, Pakistan reported 73 polio cases, with eight of them belonging to DI Khan

By M. Waqar Bhatti
January 23, 2025
A health worker administers polio drops to a child, as part of the Polio-Free Pakistan drive in Quetta on September 11, 2024. —INP
A health worker administers polio drops to a child, as part of the Polio-Free Pakistan drive in Quetta on September 11, 2024. —INP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported its first case of polio in 2025, a 45-month-old male child from Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) officials on Wednesday.

Health officials confirmed that the child, a resident of Union Council Lachra in tehsil DI Khan, belonged to the Bettani tribe and tested positive for the wild poliovirus (WPV1).

The latest case was the first polio case in the country this year. Last year, Pakistan reported 73 polio cases, with eight of them belonging to DI Khan.

Health experts noted that the challenges in DI Khan stem from its hard-to-reach population, tribal dynamics and socio-economic disparities that hinder vaccination efforts.