The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication confirmed the case on Thursday, identifying the infected child as a resident of Union Council Mastak in Bara tehsil of Khyber district.
This is the third polio case reported from Khyber district this year and the seventh from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Sindh has recorded the remaining two cases.
Virus Linked to Afghanistan
Health officials said genetic analysis of poliovirus detected in all three cases reported from Khyber district this year showed links with strains circulating in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The findings highlight the continued risk of cross-border transmission, particularly in areas where people frequently travel between the two countries.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the transmission of wild poliovirus has never been interrupted.
Frequent population movements, inaccessible communities, security challenges and gaps in childhood vaccination continue to complicate eradication efforts on both sides of the border.
Health officials have stressed the need for closer coordination between the two countries, especially in border districts where population movement increases the possibility of virus transmission.
Vaccination Gaps Raise Concerns
Experts say cross-border transmission is not the only challenge facing Pakistan’s polio eradication programme. Continued local circulation of the virus, children missed during vaccination campaigns and inadequate immunity in vulnerable communities also contribute to the persistence of the disease.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has repeatedly treated Pakistan and Afghanistan as a single epidemiological block for polio eradication, warning that continued transmission in either country poses a risk to the other.
The WHO has also raised concerns about restrictions affecting house-to-house vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan. In some southern provinces, vaccination activities have largely been conducted at designated sites instead of through household visits.
Such arrangements can leave children without vaccination, particularly infants and those living in remote communities.
Virus Detected in Sewage
Environmental surveillance in Pakistan has also continued to detect poliovirus in sewage samples.
According to officials, positive samples have been identified in the Peshawar surveillance block, which includes Peshawar and Khyber districts.
The findings indicate that the virus continues to circulate in the environment despite repeated vaccination campaigns.
Health authorities warn that environmental detection is an important indicator of ongoing transmission and shows why vaccination efforts must continue even when reported cases decline.
Pakistan’s polio tally reaches six after 7-year-old tests positive in Khyber
Cases Decline From Previous Years
Official figures show that Pakistan reported 74 polio cases in 2024, followed by 31 cases in 2025.
The number has fallen to nine so far in 2026. Of these, seven have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two in Sindh.
Although the decline is encouraging, health officials have cautioned that the country has not eliminated the virus. Continued detection in children and environmental samples means the threat remains.
24 Million Children Targeted
Meanwhile, the government is conducting a seven-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign from November 2 to 8, targeting approximately 24 million children under the age of five across 97 districts.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has urged parents to ensure that all eligible children receive oral polio vaccine during the campaign, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated previously.
Health authorities say repeated doses are essential to strengthen children’s immunity and interrupt virus transmission, particularly in high-risk districts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Eradication Efforts Continue
Officials have emphasised that Pakistan’s progress towards eliminating polio depends on reaching every child missed during vaccination campaigns, strengthening routine immunisation and maintaining effective coordination with Afghanistan.
They warn that as long as wild poliovirus continues to circulate in either country, children on both sides of the border remain at risk.
Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis, particularly among young children. However, it is preventable through vaccination, making consistent immunisation coverage essential to stopping its spread.
