ISLAMABAD: Two young girls have been paralysed by wild poliovirus in militancy-affected areas of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing Pakistan’s total number of cases to three in 2026.
The cases highlight how prolonged inaccessibility to vaccination teams is leaving children unprotected and at risk of lifelong disability.
Officials from national polio eradication programme confirmed latest cases include a five-month-old girl from Union Council Garyom in North Waziristan and a 24-month-old child from Union Council Jani Khel in Bannu. Both infections were identified through national surveillance system and later confirmed by Regional Reference Laboratory at National Institute of Health.
Authorities said these areas have remained inaccessible to vaccination teams for long periods due to security concerns and militant activity, resulting in repeated failure to administer oral polio vaccine drops to children.
