Pakistan health authorities report the confirmation of an additional wild polio virus case in Bannu Division, in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The affected child is a 17-month-old girl from Khandar Khankhel Union Council in Tehsil Domel of Bannu District.
This is the fifth polio case of 2026 for Pakistan.
Officials say Four of this year’s five cases have been detected in the Bannu Division, three of them in Bannu District.
This new case underscores the urgent need to maintain strong surveillance and vaccination efforts nationwide, because no child will be safe from polio until every child is vaccinated and safe.
In 2026, Pakistan has already implemented four large-scale polio campaigns, protecting more than 45 million children multiple times, alongside smaller targeted oral and injectable vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas. Last week, a subnational campaign protected over 28 million children across the country, but continued virus detections continue to pose a risk to children.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free, besides the two endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.