Peshawar, May 1, 2026: Pakistan on Friday reported two new polio cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, taking the total number of confirmed infections in the country this year to three.
An official of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) had confirmed two new cases of wild poliovirus — one from Bannu and the other from North Waziristan.
The official said persistent access constraints in the affected areas continue to facilitate the transmission of the virus, posing serious risks to children’s health and well-being.
“The two new cases were detected through the poliovirus surveillance network and later confirmed by the WHO-accredited Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health,” the official said.
Pakistan had reported its first polio case of the year earlier from Sindh. With the latest detections in KP, the nationwide tally has now increased to three cases in 2026.
Health officials also expressed concern over the early onset of the high-transmission season due to rising temperatures across the country.
“With the sudden increase in heat, it appears the high transmission period may begin much earlier this year,” the official said, adding that the peak transmission season usually starts in late May and continues through September.
Experts note that the poliovirus remains less active in lower temperatures but spreads more rapidly during hot weather, making summer the most critical period for transmission.
Polio is a highly infectious and paralysing disease with no cure. Health authorities emphasise that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with completion of routine immunisation schedules for children under five years of age, are essential to build strong immunity against the disease.
The Pakistan Polio Programme conducts multiple nationwide vaccination campaigns annually, delivering vaccines to children at their doorsteps.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus transmission continues.
The World Health Organization has maintained polio-related travel restrictions on Pakistan since 2014, requiring international travellers from the country to carry valid polio vaccination certificates.
