Fresh poliovirus detection in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has raised concerns over continued transmission in Pakistan….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Pakistan has reported its eighth polio case of 2026, with a 13-month-old girl infected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising fresh concerns about the continued spread of the virus despite nationwide vaccination campaigns.
The latest case was detected in Union Council Janbaz-B in Tehsil Bara, Khyber district, according to a report by Geo News. It is the second case reported in the district this year and the sixth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, highlighting persistent challenges in protecting children against the disease.
Environmental surveillance in the Peshawar Block, which includes Khyber and Peshawar districts, continues to detect the poliovirus, indicating that it remains in circulation and poses a threat to children’s health, the report said.
Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has launched an investigation into the latest infection and is assessing measures to prevent further transmission. These include targeted vaccination drives and support for routine immunisation programmes.
Despite the latest case, Pakistan has continued to conduct large-scale vaccination campaigns. Four nationwide campaigns have been carried out so far in 2026, reportedly protecting more than 45 million children multiple times through oral polio vaccines. Smaller targeted campaigns have also been conducted in high-risk areas, including the Peshawar Block, using oral and injectable vaccines.
A subnational vaccination campaign in September covered more than 29.3 million children, according to the report.
The next vaccination round is scheduled from 2 to 8 November, targeting nearly 24 million children across 97 districts, including Khyber. Health authorities are expected to focus on areas where the virus continues to circulate.
Pakistan has made significant progress in reducing polio cases over the past three decades. The number of reported infections has fallen by 99.8 per cent from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 cases in 2025. However, fresh infections continue to emerge, highlighting the difficulty of eliminating the disease.
Of the eight cases recorded in 2026, six have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including four in the province’s southern districts. The remaining two cases were reported in Sindh, Geo News said.
Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects children under five. There is no cure, and infection can cause permanent paralysis or death. Vaccination remains the only effective way to prevent the disease.
Repeated immunisation campaigns have helped protect millions of children and enabled most countries to eliminate polio. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the disease is endemic.
The latest infection in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa underlines the continuing challenge facing Pakistan’s eradication programme, as health authorities seek to close gaps in vaccination coverage and prevent further transmission.
