Sixth polio case of 2026: boy, 7, in Khyber's Jamrud, five of six cases now in KP

Pakistan has its sixth polio case of 2026. The National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) said on Monday, 5 October, that a seven-year-old boy from Union Council Ghundi-A in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been confirmed with the virus. It comes less than a week after the fifth case, reported on 29 September.

Polio cases in Pakistan in 2026: where they are

The new case is the first of the year from Khyber district, which borders Afghanistan on the Torkham route. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus is still endemic.

What happens now

The NEOC said the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has started a full case investigation. It is also planning:

• a vaccination campaign with both oral and injectable polio vaccine for older children, not only under-fives;
• a push on routine immunisation, the regular childhood shots given at health centres.

No dates for the new campaign have been announced yet. We will add them here when the NEOC publishes them.

The case follows the sub-national campaign of 21 to 27 September, in which more than 28.2 million children were vaccinated, according to the NEOC as reported by Dawn. Insecurity in the northwest, and in Bannu in particular, keeps teams from reaching every child.

What it means for your family

1. Every child under five needs drops in every campaign, even if they had them last month. Each dose adds protection; one round is not enough.
2. Check the routine schedule. Ask your nearest government health centre or EPI vaccinator whether your child has had the injectable polio vaccine (IPV) as well as the drops. Both are free.
3. If a child suddenly cannot move an arm or a leg, with or without fever, see a doctor the same day. Doctors report such cases so they can be tested for polio.
4. Travelling abroad? Pakistan is still under WHO polio travel rules, so many travellers need a polio vaccination certificate before they fly. See what flyers need now and, for pilgrims, the Umrah vaccination certificate deadlines.

Background

Polio is a highly infectious virus that can cause paralysis for life and, in some cases, death. There is no cure, but the vaccine prevents it. Most cases in recent years have come from southern KP, northern Balochistan and parts of Karachi, where the virus keeps turning up in sewage samples.

Read more: the 21 to 27 September polio drive across 115 districts.