Pakistan reports this year's sixth polio case

Pakistan has reported its sixth polio case this year, the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) announced on Monday. The new case was found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district, according to the NEOC statement. The child affected is a seven-year-old boy from Union Council Ghundi-A in Khyber’s Jamrud tehsil.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has initiated a comprehensive case investigation and is planning additional measures to protect children, including a vaccination campaign with both oral and injectable vaccines for older age groups and enhancing routine immunisation. Out of the six polio cases reported in Pakistan in 2026, five have been in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with four cases from the Bannu division.

This latest case was reported less than a week after the fifth one surfaced on September 29. These events occur during the aftermath of a weeklong sub-national polio campaign that concluded on September 27, during which over 28.2 million children were vaccinated. However, severe security challenges continue to pose significant threats to eradication efforts in the northwest, with the Bannu district remaining a critical vulnerability.

Polio, a highly contagious and incurable disease, can lead to lifelong paralysis and, in some instances, death. Despite this, it can be effectively prevented through safe and effective polio vaccines. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic.