The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) on Friday reported Pakistan’s fourth polio case this year, stating it was detected in the Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,
The NEOC said the latest case was a resident of Nurar Union Council in the Miryan tehsil of Bannu, adding the patient was an eight-month-old child. Three of the four polio cases reported in the country this year have emerged from Bannu, with officials blaming security concerns and their impact on ensuring regular access of polio teams to children in the region. They said the continued circulation of the poliovirus in south KP primarily stemmed from children missing vaccinations.
According to the NEOC, poliovirus transmission is on the decline nationwide, but remains in south KP due to the gaps in coverage. Authorities have said the next nationwide anti-polio campaign would run from Sept. 21-27 and seek to cover 31 million children.
The latest case comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was committed to achieving the shared goal of completely eradicating polio. In a meeting with a delegation of the Gates Foundation in Islamabad, he stressed the nationwide vaccination drive was supported at the highest levels of government.
“The Gates Foundation has played a commendable role in eradicating polio, health, nutrition, financial inclusion, and the welfare of society’s vulnerable segments,” he added.