Polio continues to haunt Pakistan despite nationwide campaigns; 8th case reported in 2026

New Delhi: Pakistan's failure to eradicate polio continues as the country reported its eighth polio case of 2026 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, exposing persistent gaps in vaccination coverage despite repeated campaigns, a report has said.

A report by Geo News highlighted the latest case in a 13-month-old girl from Union Council Janbaz-B in Tehsil Bara.

The case is the second from Khyber District this year and the sixth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone, underscoring that children remain at risk, it added.

Officials admitted that environmental surveillance in the Peshawar Block, comprising Khyber and Peshawar districts, continues to show positive detections, indicating active virus circulation and a continuing threat to children's health, according to the report.

However, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has launched a case investigation and is evaluating a response to prevent further transmission, including targeted vaccination and routine immunisation support.

“In 2026 so far, Pakistan has already implemented 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 report said.

It further noted that a subnational campaign in September reportedly covered over 29.3 million children.

The next round is scheduled from November 2 to 8 to cover nearly 24 million children in 97 districts, including Khyber.

Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8 per cent from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025 but continues to report fresh cases.

Of the eight cases this year, six are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from southern KP alone, and two from Sindh, according to Geo News.

Polio is a highly contagious, incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and death, preventable only through vaccination.

“Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free, except for the two endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the report said.

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