ISLAMABAD: A new polio case was reported in Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, taking the country’s total number of cases this year to five, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said.
The latest case comes as Pakistan completed a week-long anti-polio campaign in 112 selected districts, during which more than 28.2 million children were administered polio drops, according to the NEOC.
The campaign was held from September 21 to 27 and involved more than 273,000 health workers. A simultaneous campaign was conducted in neighbouring Afghanistan during the same period.
The NEOC did not immediately provide further details about the child affected in the latest Bannu case.
Bannu has emerged as a major challenge to Pakistan’s efforts to eradicate polio.
The district accounted for three of the country’s first four cases reported this year, with health authorities previously warning that security-related access restrictions had prevented vaccination teams from consistently reaching some children.
Pakistan’s first polio case of 2026 was reported in March from Sujawal district in Sindh, involving a four-year-old child. Two more cases were detected in May, one each in Bannu and North Waziristan, taking the national tally to three.
A fourth case was confirmed in Bannu in September in an eight-month-old child from Noor Union Council of Miryan tehsil, according to officials. The case was the third reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year.
The Polio Eradication Initiative has said three of the first four cases of 2026 were from Bannu Division, where security-related access constraints had left some children without vaccination and allowed wild poliovirus to continue circulating.
The latest case comes despite a nationwide effort to increase vaccination coverage ahead of the low-transmission winter period.
During the September campaign, health workers vaccinated more than 10.1 million children in 30 districts of Sindh, around 8 million in 10 districts of Punjab, 7 million in 37 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2.3 million in 32 districts of Balochistan.
About 443,000 children were vaccinated in Islamabad and 140,000 in two districts of Gilgit-Baltistan.
The campaign was originally planned across 115 districts, but the final NEOC figures showed vaccination activity in 112 selected districts. More than 31 million children under five had initially been targeted for the drive.
Pakistan has made substantial progress in reducing polio cases in recent years. The country reported 31 cases in 2025, down from 74 in 2024, according to official polio data.
The decline has continued into 2026, although health officials have cautioned that persistent transmission in parts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains a threat to eradication efforts.
Bannu remained a particular concern because security problems had disrupted vaccination campaigns and, in some instances, exposed polio workers to attacks or kidnapping.
Officials have described the district as a potential source from which the virus could spread to other parts of the country.
The government-led Polio Eradication Initiative has urged parents to ensure children receive polio drops during every campaign as well as complete their routine immunisation schedule.
Polio is incurable but preventable through vaccination. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission remains endemic.
PAK SOUCH MEDIA GROUP
Daily Pak Souch Newspaper Sukkur – Daily Pak Special Newspaper Karachi – Daily Pak Today Newspaper Karachi – Daily Pak Jazbo Newspaper Sukkur
Head Office : Ayub Gate Shaikh Muhalla Near Rabbania Masjid Sukkur
Karachi Office : Office No. 1901-B, 19th Floor Saima Trade Tower (B) Block I.I Chandigarh Road Near Jung Press, Shaheen Complex & National Museum of Pakistan Karachi Sindh Pakistan.
Contact : 03009319022
Website 1 : https://paksouch.com/
Website 2 : https://sindhi.paksouch.com/
Website 3 : https://pakjazbo.com/
Website 4 : https://urdu.pakjazbo.com/
About The Author
