Islamabad: Pakistan has reported its eighth polio case of 2026 after a 13-month-old girl from Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tested positive for the virus, health authorities confirmed on Sunday.
According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication, the affected child belongs to Union Council Janbaz-B in Bara tehsil of Khyber district. This is the second polio case reported from Khyber district this year and the sixth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Of the eight cases confirmed across Pakistan so far this year, six have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including four from southern districts of the province, while the remaining two cases have been detected in Sindh.
Health officials said the latest case had raised concerns about continued circulation of wild poliovirus in the Peshawar Block, comprising Peshawar and Khyber districts, where environmental surveillance has repeatedly detected the virus.
They said positive environmental samples indicated that poliovirus continued to circulate in communities despite repeated vaccination campaigns, leaving unvaccinated and inadequately immunised children vulnerable to infection.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has launched a detailed investigation into the latest case to determine the circumstances surrounding the infection and identify possible gaps in vaccination coverage.
Officials said the investigation would help determine the appropriate response, including targeted vaccination activities and measures to strengthen routine childhood immunisation in affected communities.
The latest case has been confirmed just a day before the launch of another nationwide effort to protect children against the crippling disease.
According to the NEOC, a seven-day subnational polio vaccination campaign will begin on November 2 and continue until November 8, targeting nearly 24 million children under five years of age in 97 districts across Pakistan, including Khyber.
Health authorities have urged parents to ensure that their children receive oral polio vaccine during the upcoming campaign, regardless of how many doses they have received previously.
Officials said Pakistan had already conducted four large-scale polio vaccination campaigns during 2026, reaching more than 45 million children multiple times. Several smaller vaccination activities, including campaigns using oral and injectable polio vaccines, were also carried out in high-risk areas, particularly the Peshawar Block.
During the most recent subnational vaccination campaign in September, more than 29.3 million children were vaccinated against polio across the country.
Despite the detection of new cases, health authorities said wild poliovirus transmission had declined considerably compared with previous years.
Pakistan recorded 31 polio cases in 2025, while eight cases have been confirmed during the first 10 months of 2026.
According to the polio eradication programme, Pakistan has achieved a 99.8 percent reduction in polio cases since the early 1990s, when an estimated 20,000 children were affected annually.
However, officials warned that the continued detection of poliovirus in children and environmental samples demonstrated that the disease had not yet been eliminated and could spread again if vaccination coverage declined.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects children under five years of age. It attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis, while severe cases may result in death.
There is no cure for polio, but the disease can be prevented through repeated vaccination with safe and effective vaccines.
Health officials said polio vaccines had been used successfully in 195 countries, including Muslim-majority countries, and remained the most effective protection against the disease.
The NEOC urged parents, religious leaders, community representatives and the media to support vaccination teams, counter misinformation and ensure that no eligible child was missed during the upcoming campaign.
Officials stressed that every child must receive the recommended doses of polio vaccine during each vaccination round, alongside routine childhood immunisations, to prevent further transmission and help Pakistan achieve polio eradication.