ISLAMABAD: The National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) on Sunday confirmed the country’s eighth polio case of this year.

The latest case was from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district, where the affected child is a 13-month-old girl from Union Council Janbaz-B in the Bara tehsil, according to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme (PPEP).

Polio is a highly contagious disease that has no cure and can cause lifelong paralysis. It can, however, be prevented through safe and effective polio vaccines, which have been used safely in 195 countries, including all Muslim-majority countries.

“The case is a reminder of the importance of vaccinating every child,” read a statement from PPEP. It urged parents to ensure that all children under five receive the oral polio vaccine in the upcoming subnational polio campaign from Nov 2 to 8 and in subsequent campaigns.

“This is the second case reported from Khyber District this year — and the sixth from KP province — underscoring that no child will be safe from polio until all children are consistently vaccinated and protected across the country,” the statement read.

While overall wild poliovirus transmission has declined this year, the Peshawar Block, comprising the districts of Khyber and Peshawar, has reported positive environmental detections, indicating virus circulation and a continued risk to children’s health.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has launched a case investigation and is analysing the best science-based response to tackle and prevent further transmission, including targeted vaccination activities and support to strengthen routine immunisation.

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 recent sub-national vaccination campaign in September protected over 29.3m children across the country, while the next vaccination round is scheduled from Nov 2-8 to protect nearly 24m in 97 districts, including Khyber. It will be conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan with strong cross-border coordination.