ISLAMABAD: The National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) on Monday confirmed Pakistan’s sixth polio case of the year from Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The affected child is a seven-year-old boy from Union Council Ghundi-A in Jamrud tehsil.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has launched a comprehensive investigation into the case.
In response, additional measures to reach and protect children are also being planned, including a vaccination campaign to administer both oral and injectable vaccines to older children, as well as efforts to strengthen routine immunisation.
Five of this year’s six cases have been reported from KP, four of them from its southern region alone.
An official of the programme, requesting anonymity, said security issues in KP were becoming a reason for the resurgence of the poliovirus.
“This year, six cases have been reported, of which five have been reported from KP. Last year [2025], 31 cases were reported across Pakistan, of which 20 were from KP, nine from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan,” he added.
“Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and, in some cases, death. It can, however, be prevented through safe and effective polio vaccines, which have been used safely in 195 countries, including all Muslim-majority countries.”
Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026
