Polio alarm grows as Pakistan reports fourth case of 2026

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported its fourth polio case of 2026, with the latest infection detected in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) said on Friday.

Three of the four cases reported in the country this year are from Bannu Division, where security-related restrictions have prevented vaccination teams from reaching children, allowing wild poliovirus to continue circulating.

The latest case involves a child from Nurar Union Council in Tehsil Miryan, where vaccination teams have been unable to reach children consistently since 2025 because of insecurity, the NEOC said.

The government urged parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive polio drops during the next nationwide vaccination campaign, scheduled for Sept. 21 to 27, as well as in subsequent campaigns.

Pakistan has conducted three nationwide polio campaigns so far this year, protecting more than 45 million children multiple times, alongside targeted oral and injectable vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas.

The next campaign aims to vaccinate nearly 31 million children, including those in southern KP.

Pakistan recorded 31 polio cases in 2025, but transmission has declined overall this year, with cases so far largely concentrated in southern KP, according to the government.

The country has reduced polio cases by 99.8% from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s, but persistent transmission in parts of southern KP remains a major challenge to eradication efforts.

Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis and, in severe cases, death. There is no cure for the disease, but vaccination can prevent infection and its spread.

The government said consistent vaccination was essential to reaching every child and urged communities, religious leaders and the media to support vaccination campaigns and counter misinformation.

Frontline workers will continue to administer vaccines at children’s homes during the upcoming campaign, it said.