Pakistan confirmed its eighth polio case of 2026 on Monday, a 13-month-old girl from Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the same day a week-long vaccination campaign began aiming to protect nearly 24 million children under five across 97 districts.
National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) officials confirmed the case from Union Council Janbaz-B in Bara tehsil, according to Dawn. It is the second case reported from Khyber district this year and the sixth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the other two cases reported in Sindh.
News of the case matters because it shows the virus is still finding unprotected children in the very area where environmental samples have already signalled continued circulation. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic, and every new case resets the clock on eradication efforts that have already vaccinated tens of millions of children this year.
“The case is a reminder of the importance of vaccinating every child, and parents are urged to ensure that all children under five receive the oral polio vaccine in the upcoming subnational campaign from Nov 2 [today] to 8, and in subsequent campaigns,” an official of the polio programme said, according to Dawn.
“The affected child is a 13-month-old girl from Union Council Janbaz-B in Bara tehsil. This is the second case reported from Khyber district this year, and the sixth from KP province, underscoring that no child will be safe from polio until all children are consistently vaccinated and protected across the country,” the official added.
Although overall wild poliovirus transmission has declined this year, the Peshawar Block, comprising Khyber and Peshawar districts, has reported positive environmental samples, indicating continued virus circulation and a risk to children, Dawn reported. The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has launched an investigation into the case and is assessing the best science-based response to prevent further transmission, including targeted vaccination activities and efforts to strengthen routine immunisation.
Campaign targets nearly 24 million children
Next sub-national campaign, scheduled from Monday until November 8, aims to protect nearly 24 million children across 97 districts, including Khyber, according to Dawn. A separate report put the frontline workforce at more than 200,000 workers, with the drive running simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
So far in 2026, Pakistan has conducted four large-scale polio campaigns, protecting more than 45 million children multiple times, alongside smaller targeted campaigns to administer oral and injectable vaccines in high-risk areas, including the Peshawar Block. The most recent subnational vaccination campaign in September covered more than 29.3 million children.
Sindh Health Secretary Tahir Hussain Sangi inaugurated the campaign in Karachi on Saturday and urged parents to ensure that no child was missed, according to the Daily Great Balochistan report. Parents are being asked to bring every child under five to vaccination teams at homes, designated sites and transit points, and to check that each vaccinated child receives the finger marking that shows the dose was given.
Balochistan drive covers 31 districts
More than 2.2 million children under five will be targeted for polio vaccination in 31 districts of Balochistan during the campaign, Dawn reported. Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Balochistan Coordinator Inamul Haque said operational arrangements had been finalised, with 8,888 vaccination teams assigned to reach eligible children across the province.
Campaign will cover 658 union councils, with teams deployed at homes, designated vaccination sites and transit points to ensure no child is missed. The workforce includes 583 fixed-site teams and 397 transit-point teams, which will focus on vaccinating children at key locations used by families travelling within and outside the province.
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, Dera Bugti North and South, and other designated areas, including Barshore and Sevi.
Haque cited around 50 reported cases in neighbouring Afghanistan and eight in Pakistan, warning that the virus could still threaten children despite progress in controlling the disease in Balochistan. According to the EOC coordinator, no polio cases have been reported in Balochistan since November 2024, but he stressed that the absence of recent cases did not eliminate the risk, particularly while the virus continued to circulate beyond the province.
Risks facing the campaign go beyond missed children. Polio workers in Pakistan have been frequently targeted in attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, IANS reported. Earlier on September 22, two police personnel guarding polio workers were killed by armed assailants in Noshki district of Balochistan, after gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on police guarding a team of female polio workers; the polio team itself was not hurt and the campaign in the area was suspended.
Earlier this year, in May, a police official deployed with a polio vaccination team was seriously injured in a firing incident near the Ishaqzai Qila area of Chaman district in Balochistan, IANS reported. On May 18, at least two police personnel escorting polio vaccination teams were killed in separate incidents in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to Geo News as cited by IANS.
What is confirmed is the new case, its location and the scale of the response: an eighth case in 2026, a 13-month-old girl in Khyber’s Bara tehsil, and a November 2-8 campaign covering nearly 24 million children in 97 districts. What is not yet known is the full result of the investigation into how this child was infected, or whether further cases will emerge from the same area. The campaign runs until November 8, and health officials say its success will be measured not by doses delivered alone, but by whether any child in the highest-risk districts is left unreached.
