Pakistan records sixth polio infection of the year in Khyber district

The National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication disclosed that a seven-year-old boy from Union Council Ghundi-A in Jamrud tehsil, Khyber district, has become Pakistan’s sixth polio patient this year. This case follows five earlier infections, five of which were also recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and four in the Bannu division. In response, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has initiated a comprehensive case investigation and is preparing an additional vaccination campaign that will administer both oral and injectable polio vaccines to older children while strengthening routine immunisation services.

The effort comes shortly after a week-long sub-national immunisation drive that reached more than 28.2 million children nationwide. Nonetheless, persistent security challenges in the northwest, particularly in Bannu district, remain a major obstacle to fully eradicating the disease. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic, underscoring the urgency of these measures.