A new case of wild poliovirus was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, taking the national tally to 12, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) said in a press release on Friday.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress.

Federal Minister for Health, Mustafa Kamal, on Thursday claimed that Pakistan has witnessed a decline of over 99 per cent in polio cases, saying that polio eradication remains a top priority of the government.

According to the press release, the 33-month-old boy from Bannu’s Shamsikhel Union Council is the sixth case of polio reported from KP this year.

“To date in 2025, Pakistan has reported a total of 12 cases of polio, including six from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan,” the laboratory said.

The regional laboratory noted that the southern districts of KP remain areas of concern due to limited access and challenges in conducting house-to-house vaccination.

“These barriers result in missed opportunities, leaving thousands of children unvaccinated and vulnerable to poliovirus,” the statement read.

“The Polio Eradication Programme urges all parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive every dose of polio vaccine,” it added. “Each dose strengthens immunity and offers lifelong protection. Community engagement and support remain critical to stopping the transmission of poliovirus once and for all.”

Polio is a paralysing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five are essential to provide children with high immunity against this terrible disease.

The Pakistan Polio Programme launched the third immunisation drive of the year against the crippling disease last month at the National Emergency Operations Centre in Islamabad.

The campaign was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq, alongside members of the Polio Programme’s core group and representatives of partner organisations, the statement added.