Pakistan Reports Eighth Polio Case of 2026 in Khyber as November 2 Campaign Nears

Islamabad, November 1, 2026 — Pakistan has reported its eighth polio case of 2026, a 13-month-old girl from Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) confirmed on Sunday. The case comes just one day before a nationwide subnational vaccination campaign begins on November 2, aiming to protect nearly 24 million children under five across 97 districts — including Khyber itself.

For parents, the timing is the point. The new case is a reminder that poliovirus is still circulating in parts of the country, and the campaign starting tomorrow is the immediate chance to close the gap. The drops are free, given door to door, and every child under five in the campaign districts should receive them — whether or not the child was vaccinated in an earlier round.

Key facts: Pakistan’s eighth polio case of 2026

Where the eighth case was found

According to the NEOC, the affected child belongs to Union Council Janbaz-B in Tehsil Bara, Khyber district. This is the second case reported from Khyber district in 2026, and the sixth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa overall this year. Four of the province’s six cases have come from its southern districts, with the remaining two cases nationwide reported from Sindh.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has launched a comprehensive investigation into the latest case and is assessing science-based measures to prevent further transmission, including targeted vaccination activities and support to strengthen routine immunisation. Positive environmental samples in the Peshawar Block — which includes Peshawar and Khyber districts — indicate the virus is still circulating there, which is why the area remains a focus of repeated campaigns.

Polio itself is incurable once it takes hold, but it is entirely preventable through vaccination. That is the message the NEOC repeats with every case announcement: no child is safe from polio until all children are consistently vaccinated and protected.

The November 2–8 campaign: what parents need to know

The subnational campaign runs from November 2 to 8, 2026, covering 97 selected districts across the country. Nearly 24 million children under the age of five will be offered oral polio vaccine drops during the drive, with teams going door to door.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, preparations were finalised at a high-level meeting of the provincial Emergency Operations Centre on Friday, chaired by Additional Secretary Health and EOC Coordinator Sarah Rehman, with officials from the Health Department and representatives of UNICEF, the WHO, NSTOP and the Gates Foundation. The province aims to vaccinate more than 4.80 million children under five in its targeted districts, with 20,772 trained vaccination teams deployed.

The KP drive will be launched simultaneously in the Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions, as well as Bajaur, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Upper Chitral, Lower Chitral, Abbottabad, Torghar, Lower Kohistan, Upper Kohistan and Kolai Palas districts. The campaign will continue for seven days in Peshawar and Khyber districts and for four days in the remaining selected districts of the province.

Practically, this is what it means for a household in a campaign district: expect a vaccination team at your door during the campaign week, keep children under five at home when the team visits if you can, and let the team mark the child’s finger and record the visit. If a child is missed for any reason — the family was out, the child was unwell, or the team did not reach the street — parents should take the child to the nearest health facility or vaccination point during the campaign rather than waiting for the next round. Repeated doses are safe and necessary: each campaign round builds immunity, and a child who received drops in September still needs them again in November.

How 2026 compares — and why the tally still matters

Eight cases so far in 2026 compares with 31 cases recorded in 2025, and with an estimated 20,000 cases in the early 1990s — a reduction of 99.8% that polio vaccines have delivered. In 2026 alone, Pakistan has already implemented four large-scale polio campaigns, protecting more than 45 million children multiple times, alongside smaller targeted campaigns in high-risk areas including the Peshawar Block. The most recent subnational campaign, in September, protected over 29.3 million children.

That progress is real, but it is also fragile — and that is why a single new case still makes national news. Polio spreads silently: most infected children show no symptoms, yet can pass the virus on. A single confirmed case therefore signals wider circulation, which is exactly what the environmental samples in the Peshawar Block show. The endgame of eradication is not about bringing the tally down from 31 to 8; it is about reaching zero and keeping it there, which requires every campaign to reach every child.

Pakistan’s health minister launched this November round on October 30 at the NEOC in Islamabad, and the campaign runs simultaneously with Afghanistan’s drive — a coordinated push, since the virus does not respect the border. For families in Khyber and the other 96 campaign districts, the message is simple and urgent: when the team knocks between November 2 and 8, open the door.

For the full campaign picture — the complete district list, the provincial breakdown and what to do if your child is missed — read our Polio Drive November 2–8: 24 Million Children in 97 Districts to Get Drops. The previous case in this year’s tally, from Karachi, is covered in Karachi Reports First Polio Case in Nearly Two Years — Pakistan’s 2026 Tally Hits Seven. And with Iqbal Day falling on November 9, families planning travel that week should also check Iqbal Day Public Holiday November 9, 2026: What’s Open, What’s Closed.

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