ISLAMABAD: The National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) on Monday said Pakistan had reported its sixth polio case in the ongoing year.

The fresh case was reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district, according to a NEOC statement.

The affected child was a seven-year-old boy from Union Council Ghundi-A in Khyber’s Jamrud tehsil, the statement said.

It added, “The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has launched a comprehensive case investigation. As a response, additional measures to reach and protect children are also being planned — including a vaccination campaign to administer both oral and injectable vaccines for children of older age, as well as enhancement of routine immunisation.”

Five of Pakistan’s six polio cases in 2026 have been reported from KP, among which four are from the Bannu division.

The latest case has been reported less than a week after this year’s fifth one surfaced on Sept 29.

These developments take place as a weeklong sub-national polio campaign concluded on Sept 27, during which more than 28.2 million children were vaccinated.

However, severe security challenges threaten eradication efforts in the northwest, and the Bannu district remains a critical vulnerability.

Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and, in some cases, death. It can, however, be prevented through safe and effective polio vaccines.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio is still endemic.