Pakistan reports eighth polio case of 2026 as 13-month-old girl in Khyber falls ill
A health worker vaccinating a child against polio in Pakistan, shown in a file photograph.
Islamabad: Pakistan has confirmed its eighth polio case of 2026. The National Emergency Operations Centre says the latest case comes from Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a 13-month-old girl from Union Council Janbaz-B in Tehsil Bara has tested positive for poliovirus.
Second case in Khyber this year
It is the second case reported from Khyber district this year, and the sixth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Of the eight cases recorded across the country so far in 2026, six are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two from Sindh, with four of the province’s cases coming from its southern districts. Officials say positive environmental samples in the Peshawar Block show the virus is still circulating, which is why reaching every child, every time, remains the whole point of the programme.
Investigation under way
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has launched a full investigation into the case and is weighing a science-based response to stop further transmission, including targeted vaccination in the affected area and stronger routine immunisation. Polio has no cure, but it can be prevented by vaccine — the reason officials keep returning to the same appeal to parents: no child under five should miss the drops.
Campaign begins tomorrow in 97 districts
The case was confirmed a day before a sub-national polio campaign opens on November 2, running until November 8 across 97 selected districts. Nearly 24 million children under five are due to receive the drops. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the drive covers 27 districts and more than 4.8 million children, and in Balochistan 31 districts and more than 2.2 million children. The campaign runs for seven days in Peshawar and Khyber districts and four days in the province’s other selected districts.
Long progress, risk not gone
Vaccination has cut Pakistan’s cases from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025, with eight reported so far this year. Four large-scale campaigns in 2026 have already protected more than 45 million children multiple times, and the September sub-national round reached over 29.3 million. The Bara case is a reminder of the other side of those numbers: until every child is vaccinated every time, no child is fully safe.
