Ninth polio case of 2026 confirmed in KhyberHealth

The new case comes only days after the eighth case of the year was confirmed on 2 November, when a 13-month-old girl from Bara tehsil also tested positive. That case was the second from Khyber district and the sixth from the province at the time, underlining how the virus continues to circulate in the same area.

Official figures show that Pakistan reported 74 polio cases in 2024 and 31 in 2025. The number has fallen to nine so far this year, including seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two from Sindh, but health officials say the continued detection of cases shows the virus has not yet been stopped.

Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic, according to the World Health Organization. The virus mainly affects children under five and can cause lifelong paralysis, but it is preventable through repeated vaccination.

The latest case was confirmed during a seven-day sub-national polio vaccination campaign running from 2 to 8 November, which aims to reach about 24 million children under the age of five across 97 districts. Health teams are going door to door in high-risk areas, and parents have been urged to make sure every child under five receives the drops.

Officials say the campaign is designed to close immunity gaps in the districts where the virus is still circulating. Environmental testing in the Peshawar block, which covers Khyber and Peshawar districts, has continued to detect the virus, indicating an ongoing risk to children in the area.

Health authorities have appealed to parents, community representatives and local leaders to support the vaccination teams and to bring forward any child who has missed the drops. They say no child can be considered safe until all children are vaccinated consistently in every round.

The campaign continues until 8 November, and officials say the results of the latest case investigation will guide targeted vaccination activity in the affected area.