A new polio case has been reported in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bringing the total number of cases this year to eight.

This is the third case reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the second nationwide in just three days.

The confirmation came from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health. With the high-transmission season now underway, officials warn of potentially more frequent polio cases in the coming months.

A nationwide polio vaccination campaign, aiming to vaccinate 45.4 million children under five, is under progress aiming to end on April 27. Parents have been urged to ensure their children receive repeated doses of the polio vaccine.

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio cases are still reported. In addition to vaccine hesitancy based on cultural and religious factors, vaccination campaigns have been affected by security issues.