Pakistan reports eighth polio case of 2026, a 13-month-old girl from Khyber, as week-long vaccination drive begins
Pakistan has confirmed its eighth polio case of 2026, a 13-month-old girl from Bara tehsil in Khyber district, on the day a week-long campaign to vaccinate nearly 24 million children in 97 districts began.
Pakistan has confirmed its eighth polio case of 2026, a 13-month-old girl from Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication said on Monday. The announcement came on the first day of a new subnational vaccination campaign running from 2 to 8 November, which aims to protect nearly 24 million children across 97 districts.
The affected child is from Union Council Janbaz-B in Bara tehsil, according to a polio programme official quoted by Dawn. This is the second case reported from Khyber district this year and the sixth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a pattern that officials say shows the virus is still circulating in the area despite an overall decline in wild poliovirus transmission this year.
The official described the case as a reminder of the importance of vaccinating every child, urging parents to ensure that all children under five receive the oral polio vaccine in the current campaign and in subsequent rounds. The message is aimed at families in high-risk areas in particular, where missed children can keep transmission going even when case numbers are falling nationally.
The Peshawar Block, which comprises Khyber and Peshawar districts, has reported positive environmental samples, indicating continued virus circulation and a risk to children, the programme said. Environmental surveillance, which tests sewage samples for poliovirus, often detects the virus before cases appear, and its positive findings in the Peshawar Block help explain why health officials remain concerned despite only eight cases so far this year.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has launched an investigation into the new case and is assessing what it called the best science-based response to prevent further transmission. That response is expected to include targeted vaccination activities and efforts to strengthen routine immunisation, so that children who missed earlier rounds are reached through both campaign and regular health services.
So far in 2026, Pakistan has conducted four large-scale polio campaigns, protecting more than 45 million children multiple times, alongside smaller targeted campaigns in high-risk areas, including the Peshawar Block, using both oral and injectable vaccines. The most recent subnational campaign, in September, covered more than 29.3 million children, and the current round is the latest in that sequence rather than a one-off effort.
The new campaign is not limited to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Balochistan, more than 2.2 million children under five will be targeted for vaccination in 31 districts, with 8,888 vaccination teams assigned to reach them across 658 union councils. The workforce includes 583 fixed-site teams and 397 transit-point teams, focused on vaccinating children at homes, designated vaccination sites and places used by families travelling within and outside the province.
Security for vaccination teams is also a major part of the operation. In Karachi alone, more than 8,000 police personnel have been deployed to protect teams during the week-long campaign, according to officials quoted by The Hindu, after past attacks on immunisation drives. Balochistan's targeted districts include Quetta East and West, Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Hub, Chagai, Kharan, Noshki, Zhob, Loralai, Duki, Barkhan, Kohlu, Musakhel, Sherani, Harnai, Qila Saifullah, Kachhi, Jhal Magsi, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Sohbatpur, Usta Mohammad and Dera Bugti North and South.
Balochistan's Emergency Operation Centre coordinator, Inamul Haque, noted that around 50 cases have been reported in neighbouring Afghanistan this year, compared with eight in Pakistan, and warned that the virus could still threaten children despite progress in controlling it in Balochistan. No polio cases have been reported in Balochistan since November 2024, he said, but the absence of recent cases does not eliminate the risk while the virus continues to circulate beyond the province.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic, which is why a single new case in Khyber is treated as a national signal rather than a local incident. Health officials say the coming week will show whether the campaign can reach the children who matter most, in the districts where environmental samples show the virus is still present, and whether routine immunisation can be strengthened enough to stop the next case before it happens.
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