A seven-month-old child in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Khyber district has tested positive for polio, bringing Pakistan's tally to nine cases in 2026, health officials confirmed on Thursday. According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication, the infected child belongs to Union Council Mastak in Bara tehsil of Khyber district.
The genetic evidence linked the virus to strains circulating in neighbouring Afghanistan. This is the third polio case reported from the district and the seventh from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year, while Sindh has recorded two cases.
Officials said genetic analysis of poliovirus detected in all three cases reported from Khyber district this year showed links with strains circulating in Afghanistan, highlighting the continued threat of cross-border transmission. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus transmission has never been interrupted.
Frequent population movements, inaccessible communities, security challenges, and gaps in childhood vaccination continue to complicate eradication efforts. Health officials noted that genetic links with Afghanistan demonstrate the need for closer coordination, particularly in border districts.
Experts cautioned that cross-border transmission is not the only challenge. Continued local circulation, children missed during campaigns, and inadequate immunity in vulnerable communities contribute to the disease's persistence.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified Pakistan and Afghanistan as a single epidemiological block, stressing that transmission in either country poses risks to the other. WHO has also raised concerns over restrictions affecting house-to-house vaccination in Afghanistan, which can leave children unvaccinated.
In Pakistan, environmental surveillance has detected poliovirus in sewage samples from the Peshawar block, indicating the virus continues to circulate. According to official figures, Pakistan reported 74 polio cases in 2024 and 31 in 2025.
The number has declined to nine so far this year. Meanwhile, the government is conducting a seven-day polio vaccination campaign from November 2 to 8, targeting approximately 24 million children under five years of age across 97 districts.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has urged parents to ensure that every eligible child receives the oral polio vaccine during the campaign to strengthen immunity and interrupt transmission. The government remains committed to eradicating the virus, emphasizing that community cooperation is essential to achieving a polio-free status for the nation.