Pakistan reports ongoing year's fifth polio case

Islamabad, Pakistan reported its fifth polio case of the year on Tuesday, involving a 17-month-old girl from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu Division. The infected child hails from Khandar Khankhel union council in Domel tehsil, Bannu district, according to a National Emergency Operations Centre official. Four of this year's five polio cases have been identified in Bannu division, while three of those instances originated in Bannu district.

The discovery was also verified on the Pakistan's polio eradication program's website. The site's announcement stated that vaccination initiatives have cut polio cases by 99.8 percent, from an estimated 20,000 cases in the early 1990s to just five cases thus far in 2025. However, the virus remains a persistent threat in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The website stressed that "no child will be safe from polio until every child is vaccinated and safe." With four cases detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in Sindh this year, the total remains far below the 31 cases recorded in 2025 and the 74 cases in 2024. Officials anticipate a substantial decline in the 2026 polio tally compared to the past two years.

The decrease is attributed to improved vaccination campaign performance and the onset of winter, a period characterized by lower transmission due to the virus's dormancy in cold temperatures. Anwarul Haq, head of the Pakistan Polio Programme, commented on the conclusion of the recent sub-national polio vaccination campaign, which vaccinated over 28.2 million children during the week-long drive.

However, persistent security challenges in the northwest, particularly in Bannu district, pose a significant threat to eradication efforts. "There are severe security-related issues in Bannu where not only polio campaigns are stopped, but sometimes polio team workers are also kidnapped," a polio expert told Dawn. "There is a need to address the security-related issues in Bannu because it is the only place from where the polio virus can bounce back."

Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can lead to lifelong paralysis and, in some instances, death. However, it can be prevented through safe and effective polio vaccines.