Pakistan reports this year's sixth polio case

Pakistan has reported its sixth polio case of the year, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC). The new case, a seven-year-old boy from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Khyber district, was identified in Union Council Ghundi-A in Jamrud tehsil. In response to this development, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has launched a comprehensive case investigation and plans to enhance vaccination efforts, including both oral and injectable vaccines for older children and boosting routine immunisation.

This marks the sixth polio case in Pakistan this year, with all five instances occurring in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including four in the Bannu division. The latest case emerged less than a week after the fifth one was reported on September 29. Despite a recent weeklong sub-national polio campaign that vaccinated over 28.2 million children, security challenges in the northwest persist, with Bannu district remaining a critical vulnerability.

Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can lead to lifelong paralysis and, in some cases, death; however, it can be prevented through safe and effective polio vaccines. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio is still endemic.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.