Pakistan has logged its seventh polio case of 2026, after the virus was confirmed in a six-month-old baby in Jamali Colony, Karachi, the Sindh Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) reported. The infection was found in the city’s East district, raising Sindh’s total for the year to two and the national figure to seven.
The Sindh EOC also said this is Karachi’s first recorded polio case since December 2024. Health officials stressed that every child under five must receive polio drops during each vaccination drive. A nationwide anti-polio campaign is scheduled for November 2 to 8, when teams will try to reach children across the country.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounts for most infections
Of the seven cases recorded nationwide this year, five were found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and two in Sindh, making KP the worst-affected province in 2026. The first case of the year was reported in March from Sujawal district in Sindh, involving a four-year-old. Two more cases followed in May, one each in Bannu and North Waziristan, lifting the national count to three.
A fourth case was later confirmed in Bannu, in an eight-month-old from Noor Union Council of Miryan tehsil. By late September, another Bannu case brought the national total to five, and the district has become a major focus of eradication efforts. Three of Pakistan’s first four cases this year were linked to Bannu Division.
A sixth case was then reported from KP, bringing the provincial figure to five before the Karachi infection pushed the national tally to seven. Health authorities have said security-related access problems in parts of southern KP have repeatedly prevented vaccination teams from reaching some children.
Endemic status and surveillance concerns
Pakistan remains one of only two countries, alongside Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus transmission has never been fully stopped. The World Health Organization has continued to list parts of southern KP and Karachi among areas needing particular attention, citing persistent transmission risks and gaps in vaccination coverage.
Although confirmed human cases this year are relatively few, surveillance has kept detecting wild poliovirus in environmental samples, which indicates the virus is still circulating. Health authorities have repeatedly urged parents and caregivers to ensure children under five receive oral polio vaccine during every campaign, regardless of how many doses they have previously received.
