Islamabad, November 5,2026: Pakistan has reported its ninth polio case of the current year, with the latest infection confirmed in Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order intensified efforts and a coordinated national strategy to eradicate the disease.
According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), the affected child is a seven-month-old boy from Mastak Union Council in Bara tehsil.
The NEOC said this was the third polio case reported from Khyber district and the seventh from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year.
“The poliovirus detected in all three cases from Khyber district has genetic linkages to Afghanistan — which is facing an intense outbreak with 50 cases reported this year — indicating cross-border circulation of the virus,” the statement said.
The centre stressed the importance of consistent vaccination, particularly during the ongoing polio campaign being conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan as part of cross-border eradication efforts.
It warned that poliovirus knows no borders and that no child would be safe until every child was protected and transmission of the virus had stopped completely.
While overall wild poliovirus transmission had declined this year, the Peshawar block, comprising Khyber and Peshawar districts bordering Afghanistan, and neighbouring districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continued to report virus detections, including new cases.
Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. The highly infectious and incurable disease can cause lifelong paralysis.
With the latest infection, Pakistan has reported nine polio cases in 2026, including seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two from Sindh.
The eighth case was reported on Sunday in a 13-month-old girl from Khyber district.
A door-to-door vaccination campaign is currently underway in 97 districts to immunise nearly 24 million children.
PM orders coordinated national action plan
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a coordinated strategy with the provinces to ensure the complete eradication of polio, directing relevant authorities to prepare an action plan within a week.
Chairing a meeting in Islamabad to review progress on polio eradication, the prime minister expressed concern over the recent cases and stressed the need to intensify efforts to eliminate the disease.
“Achieving a polio-free Pakistan is a major challenge. However, our resolve and morale are far stronger than this challenge,” he said.
He emphasised close consultations with the provinces and all relevant stakeholders to develop a joint strategy.
The prime minister directed the federal minister and minister of state for health, the health secretary and members of the polio eradication team to visit all four provinces and meet their respective chief ministers and chief secretaries.
He instructed the authorities to formulate a coordinated action plan within a week following consultations with the provincial governments.
Appreciating the efforts of frontline polio workers and law enforcement agencies in ensuring the successful conduct of vaccination campaigns, the prime minister said providing security and uninterrupted access to vaccination teams remained the government’s top priority.
He also directed the authorities to improve routine immunisation coverage across the country, particularly in polio-affected areas and regions of concern.
The prime minister commended improvements in access for vaccination campaigns in security-sensitive and challenging areas.
The meeting was informed that cross-border movement from Afghanistan was a major factor contributing to the spread of the virus in Pakistan.
It was also briefed that Punjab had reported no new polio cases since February 2025, while Balochistan had remained free of cases during 2025 and 2026. Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan also remained polio-free.
The meeting further noted a decline in the quantity of poliovirus detected in environmental samples from Sindh during the current year.
Authorities are also taking measures to improve the security of vaccination teams and ensure better access to communities in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
