Karachi reports first polio case since 2024 as Pakistan’s 2026 tally rises to seven

Pakistan has reported its seventh polio case of 2026 after the virus was confirmed in a six-month-old child in Karachi’s Jamali Colony, according to the Sindh Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).

The latest case was detected in Jamali Colony in Karachi’s East district, taking Sindh’s tally for the year to two and the national total to seven.

Of the seven cases reported across Pakistan so far in 2026, five have been detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and two in Sindh, making KP the province with the highest number of cases this year.

The new infection is also Karachi’s first reported polio case since December 2024, according to the Sindh EOC.

Health officials said the case recflect the importance of ensuring that every child under the age of five receives polio drops during each vaccination campaign.

A nationwide anti-polio drive is scheduled to run from November 2 to 8, during which vaccination teams will seek to reach children across the country.

KP accounts for most cases this year

Pakistan’s first polio case of 2026 was reported in March from Sujawal district in Sindh, involving a four-year-old child.

Two more cases were detected in May, one each in Bannu and North Waziristan, taking the national tally to three. A fourth case was later confirmed in Bannu in an eight-month-old child from Noor Union Council of Miryan tehsil.

By late September, another case in Bannu had raised Pakistan’s tally to five, with the district emerging as one of the main areas of concern for eradication efforts.

Health authorities have said security-related access constraints in parts of southern KP have repeatedly prevented vaccination teams from reaching some children. Three of Pakistan’s first four cases this year were linked to Bannu Division.

A sixth case was subsequently reported from KP, taking the provincial total to five before the latest infection in Karachi raised Pakistan’s overall tally to seven.

The geographical distribution means KP currently accounts for five of Pakistan’s seven cases, or more than 70 per cent of the national total, while Sindh has reported the remaining two.

Pakistan remains one of two polio-endemic countries

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where transmission of wild poliovirus has never been completely interrupted.

The World Health Organization has continued to identify parts of southern KP and Karachi among the areas requiring particular attention because of persistent transmission risks and gaps in vaccination coverage.

Despite the relatively small number of confirmed human cases this year, surveillance has continued to detect wild poliovirus in environmental samples, indicating that the virus remains in circulation.

Health authorities have repeatedly urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children under five receive oral polio vaccine during every campaign, regardless of how many doses they may previously have received.