Polio tally rises to 12 with new case in K-P's Bannu

Child from Shams Khel, Bannu — southern K-P’s most polio-vulnerable zone — confirmed infected with wild poliovirus

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PESHAWAR:

A fresh case of wild poliovirus has been reported from Bannu district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) — the sixth in the province in 2025 — bringing the national tally to 12, health officials said on Friday.

The infected child belongs to Union Council Shams Khel in Bannu district of southern K-P — an area health officials describe as the country’s most vulnerable polio zone, where poor access and vaccine resistance continue to hamper eradication efforts.

Earlier this month, health authorities confirmed a case of wild poliovirus in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district — the first such instance reported from the region.

So far this year, Sindh has reported four cases, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan one each, with the remaining six emerging from various districts of southern K-P. The resurgence underscores persistent immunity gaps, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

Read: Poliovirus detected in Hyderabad sample

In 2025, three national polio vaccination campaigns have been conducted, during which nearly 45 million children under five received oral drops. Over 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 female volunteers, have participated in the efforts.

Health officials have urged parents to ensure their children receive every dose, warning that polio remains incurable and can only be prevented through vaccination. They emphasised that even a single missed dose leaves a child vulnerable to life-threatening paralysis.

Pakistan is one of the two remaining countries in the world where polio is still categorized as an endemic viral infection, the other one being Afghanistan.