ISLAMABAD, Sept. 11 — Pakistan confirmed its fourth polio case of the year, with the latest infection detected in the country’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) for Polio Eradication said on Friday.
The latest case was reported from Bannu district of the province, where a child contracted the virus, according to a statement issued by the NEOC.
The NEOC said vaccination teams had been unable to consistently reach children in the area since 2025 due to insecurity, leaving some children vulnerable to the wild poliovirus.
Three of the country’s four polio cases reported this year have emerged from KP province, while one case was reported from southern Sindh province.
Pakistan has made significant progress in eliminating polio, reducing reported cases by 99.8 percent from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025, the statement said.
“While overall poliovirus transmission in the country has declined since 2025, transmission remains persistent in KP,” it added.
The country aims to vaccinate over 30 million children against polio during the upcoming nationwide campaign from Sept. 21 to 27 and in all subsequent campaigns.
The NEOC highlighted that continued vaccination and surveillance are essential to prevent further transmission, warning that children remain at risk until all are protected.
(Namibia Daily News/ Xinhua)
