Polio in Pakistan: Ninth Case of 2026 Confirmed in Khyber District

Polio in Pakistan has risen to nine cases in 2026 after a seven-month-old boy in Khyber district tested positive for the virus, the National Emergency Operations Centre said on Thursday. The latest case is the third from Khyber district and the seventh from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year, keeping the province at the centre of the country's fight against the disease.

The affected child is a seven-month-old boy from Mastak union council in Bara tehsil, the National Emergency Operations Centre, known as NEOC, said in a statement. The case was confirmed on Thursday, only days after the country reported its eighth case of the year on Sunday.

Polio in Pakistan: The Ninth Case of 2026

On Sunday, Pakistan reported its eighth polio case of the ongoing year. The affected child was a 13-month-old girl from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Khyber district. Of the nine cases reported this year, seven have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two from Sindh.

The pattern is clear. Khyber district alone has now reported three cases in 2026, and the province accounts for nearly all of the national tally. The NEOC said the poliovirus found in the three cases from Khyber district has direct genetic links with strains circulating in neighbouring Afghanistan, which is facing a severe outbreak with 50 cases in 2026.

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic. The cross-border movement of the virus means that neither country can end polio alone, and cases on one side of the border quickly become a risk on the other.

Polio in Pakistan: Attacks on Vaccination Teams

The new case comes during a wave of violence against the people who run the vaccination campaign. Two police officers protecting polio vaccination teams were shot dead in Mohmand district on Tuesday, when unidentified attackers opened fire on their car while they were going to reinforce a polio security detail.

A day earlier, four officers protecting polio workers were kidnapped in the province, and a polio vaccination campaign supervisor was abducted by unidentified armed men from Jamrud in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, during an ongoing immunisation drive.

The violence coincided with the launch of a targeted drive on Sunday to reach nearly 24 million children across 97 high-risk districts throughout the country. The campaign is one of the largest of the year, and the attacks have raised serious questions about the safety of the workers who carry it out.

Polio in Pakistan: The Government's Response

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has 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, saying the government must intensify its efforts to eliminate the disease.

President Asif Ali Zardari said Tuesday's shooting of the two police officers was extremely regrettable and condemnable, in a post on X. The government has promised better security for vaccination teams, but the repeated attacks show how dangerous the work has become in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Health officials say the only way to end polio is to vaccinate every child, every time, in every high-risk district. The virus spreads silently, and a single missed child can keep it alive in a community. That is why the campaign targets 24 million children, and why each new case is treated as an emergency.

Polio in Pakistan: Frequently Asked Questions

How many polio cases has Pakistan reported in 2026? Nine cases. The latest is a seven-month-old boy from Bara tehsil in Khyber district, confirmed on Thursday.

Where are most of the polio cases coming from? Seven of the nine cases are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including three from Khyber district alone. Two cases are from Sindh.

Why is polio still present in Pakistan? Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus is still endemic. The virus found in Khyber district has genetic links to strains circulating in Afghanistan, which has reported 50 cases in 2026.

Are polio workers under attack? Yes. Two police officers protecting polio teams were killed in Mohmand district on Tuesday, four officers were kidnapped on Monday, and a vaccination supervisor was abducted in Jamrud on Wednesday.

What is the government doing about polio? Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the authorities to prepare a coordinated action plan with the provinces within a week, and a drive is under way to reach nearly 24 million children in 97 high-risk districts.