The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health on Tuesday confirmed a fifth poliovirus case has been reported from the Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Four of the five polio cases reported in Pakistan thus far this year have emerged from Bannu division, including three in Bannu district. The fifth was reported from Sujawal, Sindh. The latest case in Bannu pertains to a 17-month-old girl.
In 2025, Pakistan reported 31 cases, comprising 20 from KP, nine from Sindh, one from Punjab, and one from Gilgit-Baltistan. The decline in cases this year reflects lowered poliovirus transmission following several vaccination campaigns, but the threat persists in areas of KP bordering Afghanistan, especially amidst the unrest prevailing in the region.
According to health authorities, the latest case underscores the need to maintain robust surveillance and vaccination efforts nationwide.
The poliovirus remains endemic in just two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.