ISLAMABAD: The country has reported its ninth polio case of the year, with the latest infection confirmed in Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said on Thursday.
The affected child is a seven-month-old boy from Mastak union council in Bara tehsil, the NEOC said in a statement.
“This is the third case from the district this year and the seventh from KP. 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,” it said.
The centre stressed the need for consistent vaccination, particularly during the ongoing polio campaign, which is being conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan as part of cross-border eradication efforts.
Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. It is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis.
On Sunday, Pakistan reported its eighth polio case of the ongoing year. The affected child was a 13-month-old girl from KP’s Khyber district. Of the nine cases reported this year, seven have been reported from KP and two from Sindh.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for a coordinated strategy with the provinces to ensure the complete eradication of polio from the country, directing the authorities to prepare an action plan within a week.
Chairing a meeting to review progress on polio eradication in Islamabad, the prime minister expressed concern over the recent cases in the country, saying that the government must intensify its efforts to eliminate the disease.
Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2026
