ISLAMABAD: The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) confirmed Pakistan’s ninth polio case of 2026 on Thursday, involving a seven-month-old boy from Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The child belongs to Mastak union council in Bara tehsil. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has now recorded seven cases this year, including three from Khyber district. Sindh accounts for the remaining two infections.
The NEOC said genetic analysis linked all three Khyber cases to poliovirus circulating in Afghanistan, where authorities have reported 50 cases this year.
Officials warned that cross-border transmission remained a concern despite a decline in overall poliovirus circulation. The Peshawar block, comprising Khyber and Peshawar districts, continues to report virus detections.
Neighbouring districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain affected. On Sunday, authorities confirmed the previous case in a 13-month-old girl from Khyber district.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where polio is endemic. The incurable disease can cause permanent paralysis, but vaccination can prevent infection.
A door-to-door vaccination campaign is currently targeting nearly 24 million children across 97 Pakistani districts, including Khyber.
Read: Nationwide Anti-Polio Campaign Launches in Pakistan
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered health authorities to prepare a coordinated polio eradication plan within one week.
At a review meeting in Islamabad, Sharif directed federal health officials and polio programme representatives to consult provincial chief ministers and chief secretaries.
He called for better routine immunisation coverage, particularly in districts reporting infections.
Read: New Polio Vaccination Requirement for Pakistani Travelers to Saudi Arabia
The prime minister also directed authorities to strengthen security arrangements and improve access for vaccination workers in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan’s current vaccination campaign, coordinated with Afghanistan, is scheduled to continue through November 8.
With input from Dawn
