ISLAMABAD: The Gilgit-Baltistan region on Monday reported its first case of polio in 2025, marking a concerning emergence of the crippling disease in an area previously thought to be polio-free.
Officials confirmed today that a 23-month-old child in the Diamer district has been infected with the poliovirus.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad officially confirmed the presence of the virus in the child from Diamer, indicating that this is the first time the poliovirus has been revealed in Gilgit-Baltistan.
This new case brings the total number of polio cases reported across Pakistan so far in 2025 to 11, according to health officials.
The re-emergence in Gilgit-Baltistan underscores the ongoing challenges in eradicating polio nationwide and highlights the critical need for continued vigilance and robust vaccination campaigns, even in regions where the virus has not been detected for an extended period.
The latest polio case comes despite an ongoing campaign to immunise 45 million children under five years of age across different parts of the country.
This effort is seen as a decisive step in the country’s final push to stop poliovirus transmission and achieve eradication by the end of 2025
