Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan reports its first polio case

Jun 02, 2025 07:30 PM IST

After a nationwide vaccination campaign, a 23-month-old child marked the province’s first polio case of 2025, while a vaccination team escaped an armed attack

Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan has reported its first polio case of the year, even as a vaccination team escaped unhurt in an armed attack in the region, an official said on Monday.

This is the first case of wild poliovirus reported from Gilgit-Baltistan and the 11th confirmed case in Pakistan this year, according to the country’s Polio Eradication Programme(AP)

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed the new case of wild poliovirus in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district.

Gilgit Baltistan Health Secretary, Asifullah Khan, said that a 23-month-old child was diagnosed with poliovirus in the Tangir area of the district, adding that the virus strain originated from Karachi’s Liaquatabad area.

He said it was not clear how the child was infected as he had not travelled out of the Tangir area.

This is the first case of wild poliovirus reported from Gilgit-Baltistan and the 11th confirmed case in Pakistan this year, according to the country’s Polio Eradication Programme.

Before the latest case, Gilgit-Baltistan was declared a polio-free zone.

The case surfaced after the third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2025, which began on May 26, concluded on Sunday after successfully administering the vaccine to over 45 million children across the country.

Meanwhile, unknown gunmen opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Sheikho village of Tangir Valley on Sunday. However, they remained safe.

Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Firaq said the polio team visited the area “without informing the police”, leading to the “unfortunate” incident. He said the team was safely evacuated.

Pakistan is the only country, after Afghanistan, where poliovirus is still rampant despite government efforts to eradicate it.

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