Pakistan's polio tally reaches eight with new case in K-P

13-month-old girl contracts polio in Khyber district, taking K-P's tally to six cases this year

The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication confirmed Pakistan’s seventh polio case of the year, reported from Khyber district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

The affected child is a 13-month-old girl belonging to Jan Baz Union Council in Bara tehsil, the NEOC said. This is the second polio case reported from Khyber district this year and the sixth from K-P.

Read: Karachi polio case takes Pakistan’s tally to seven this year

Of the seven cases reported across the country so far this year, six have emerged from K-P and one from Sindh, according to the NEOC.

The centre said polio was an incurable disease but could be prevented through vaccination.

A special anti-polio campaign will begin on Monday (Nov 2) in 97 selected districts across the country and continue until Nov 8, the NEOC said.

During the sub-national immunisation campaign, more than 24 million children under the age of five would be administered polio drops.

The NEOC urged parents to ensure their children received polio drops during every campaign and completed their routine immunisation schedules on time.

It also appealed to all segments of society to play their role in eliminating polio from the country.

Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8%, according to the NEOC. The estimated number of cases fell from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025. Seven cases have been reported so far this year.

Also Read: First wild polio case of 2026 confirmed in Sindh

According to the NEOC, Pakistan has conducted four large-scale polio vaccination campaigns this year, targeting more than 45 million children. These efforts have been complemented by smaller, targeted oral and injectable vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas.

A subnational campaign in September vaccinated more than 29.3 million children across the country, the NEOC said. The next vaccination campaign is scheduled to run from November 2 to 8, targeting nearly 24 million children in 97 districts, including all districts of Karachi.