Pakistan Reports Fifth Polio Case of the Year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Intensifying Surveillance Efforts
Pakistan has reported its fifth polio case of the year, involving a 17-month-old girl in the Bannu division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). This brings the total number of cases in the country to five, with four detected in Bannu and one in Sindh. Despite a significant 99.8% reduction in polio cases since the early 1990s, transmission of the virus remains persistent in southern KP. Officials attribute the overall drop in cases to improved vaccination campaign performance and the onset of winter, which is considered a low-transmission season. However, security challenges in areas like Bannu continue to pose a threat to eradication efforts, with instances of campaigns being halted and polio team workers being kidnapped.
