ISLAMABAD: Pakistan confirmed its 12th polio case of the year from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, officials said on Friday.
According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Islamabad, a 33-month-old boy from the Shamsikhel area of Bannu has tested positive for the virus. This is the sixth case from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio is still found. While cases had declined in recent years, 2025 has seen a slight rise.
So far in 2025, Pakistan has reported 6 polio cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4 from Sindh, and 1 case each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Health officials say that southern areas of KP continue to face problems in reaching every child due to difficult access and refusals. As a result, many children remain unvaccinated and at risk.
Despite these challenges, three national polio campaigns were held in February, April, and May of 2025. These campaigns reached over 45 million children with the help of 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 female vaccinators.
It is worth noting that in 2024, Pakistan reported a total of 74 polio cases. These included 27 from Balochistan, 23 from Sindh, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one case each from Punjab and Islamabad.
