Karachi reports first polio case in 18 months as Pakistan’s tally rises to 7

Pakistan has reported its seventh polio case of 2026 after a six-month-old boy from Karachi’s East district tested positive for wild poliovirus marking the city’s first reported infection in more than 18 months.

Pakistan has reported its seventh polio case of 2026 after a six-month-old boy from Karachi’s East district tested positive for wild poliovirus marking the city’s first reported infection in more than 18 months.

The National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) confirmed the case on October 19, saying the child belongs to Jamali Colony union council. The infection was detected through the country’s polio surveillance network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health in Islamabad.

According to the NEOC, the child was malnourished and had been exposed to the virus circulating in Karachi. Officials said the latest infection was the first reported in the city since December 2024.

Karachi experienced significant poliovirus circulation over the past two years. However, targeted door-to-door vaccination campaigns and improvements in routine immunisation had helped reduce transmission. The NEOC reported that only one environmental surveillance site in the city tested positive in September although unvaccinated and otherwise vulnerable children remain at risk while the virus continues to circulate.

A detailed investigation is now underway. The Polio Eradication Initiative is assessing measures to prevent further spread, including targeted vaccination activities and stronger routine immunisation services.

Of Pakistan’s seven reported cases this year five have emerged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including four in Bannu division while two have been reported in Sindh. The Karachi case follows the sixth infection identified in a seven-year-old boy in Khyber district, KP around two weeks earlier.

Polio is a highly contagious disease that can cause permanent paralysis and sometimes death. Although there is no cure, safe and effective vaccines can prevent infection and protect children against the disease.

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is endemic. The NEOC said Pakistan had reduced its annual cases from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025 with seven recorded so far in 2026.

Four nationwide vaccination campaigns have already been conducted this year reaching more than 45 million children multiple times alongside targeted vaccination activities in high-risk areas.

The next subnational campaign is scheduled for November 2–8. It aims to reach nearly 24 million children across 97 districts including every district of Karachi with the campaign coordinated with Afghanistan.