Pakistan has struggled to eradicate polio virus for decades now. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain as the only two countries in the world where polio cases still keep emerging. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had launched the first polio vaccination drive of the year on February 2 with an aim to vaccinate at least 44.2 million children under the age of five. Over 200 polio workers have been killed in Pakistan since the 1990s and the number continues to rise as militants intensify their attacks. The number of cases of polio virus in Pakistan is expected to reach 73 by 2024. The current total number of polio cases in Pakistan stands at 74. The country has reported five polio cases so far in the year of 2025, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Of these, 27 cases were from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 22 from Sindh province and one each from Punjab and the federal capital Islamabad. For confidential support on suicide matters call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.
