Polio case confirmed in Bannu

Polio case confirmed in Bannu

The National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) on Friday confirmed Pakistan’s fourth polio case of 2026, with the latest infection reported in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The polio programme has urged parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive the vaccine during the upcoming nationwide door-to-door campaign, scheduled for September 21 to 27. It also called on families to vaccinate their children during every subsequent campaign to protect them against the crippling disease.

Three of the country’s four polio cases this year have emerged from southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security concerns have repeatedly disrupted vaccination activities. Limited access has left some children without timely doses and allowed the wild poliovirus to continue circulating in the region.

According to the Polio Eradication Initiative, Pakistan has achieved a 99.8 per cent reduction in polio cases through sustained vaccination efforts. The country recorded an estimated 20,000 cases in the early 1990s, compared with 31 cases in 2025.

The latest case involves a child from Nurar Union Council in Miryan tehsil of Bannu. Vaccination teams have struggled to reach children in the area consistently since 2025 because of insecurity, according to the programme.

Although poliovirus transmission has declined across most parts of Pakistan since last year, southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continues to face persistent transmission.

The programme stressed the need for strong surveillance and uninterrupted vaccination efforts across the country, warning that every unvaccinated child remains vulnerable to the virus.

Polio is a highly contagious disease that has no cure and can cause permanent paralysis or death. Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent the disease. The polio vaccine has a long record of safe use globally, including across Muslim-majority countries.