Karachi records first polio case since 2024 as national tally hits seven

Pakistan has confirmed its seventh poliovirus case of 2026 after a six-month-old boy from Karachi’s East district tested positive for wild poliovirus. The infection is Karachi’s first confirmed case since December 2024, ending a period of more than a year and a half without a reported case in the country’s largest city.

The child is from Union Council Jamali Colony and was identified through the national polio surveillance network. Testing conducted by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health in Islamabad confirmed the infection. Health officials said the child was malnourished and had been exposed to virus circulation already present in Karachi.

Environmental surveillance had continued to detect signs of wild poliovirus in the city during 2026, even as the number of confirmed human infections declined. Only one Karachi environmental sampling site returned a positive result in September, but authorities cautioned that any continued circulation leaves children with incomplete immunisation vulnerable to infection and possible paralysis.

A comprehensive investigation has been initiated to determine the circumstances surrounding the case and assess the risk of further transmission. The Polio Eradication Initiative is considering a science-based response that may include targeted vaccination activities, intensified surveillance and additional measures to strengthen routine childhood immunisation.

Five of Pakistan’s seven confirmed cases this year have emerged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including four in the Bannu division, while the remaining two have been recorded in Sindh. The Karachi diagnosis follows the confirmation of the sixth case approximately two weeks earlier in Khyber district, where a seven-year-old boy contracted the disease.

Pakistan has made substantial progress from the estimated 20,000 annual cases recorded during the early 1990s. Authorities reported 31 cases in 2025 and seven during 2026, describing this as a 99.8 per cent reduction from the earlier level. However, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus continues to be endemic.

Four nationwide vaccination campaigns have already been conducted during 2026, repeatedly reaching more than 45 million children. These drives were supplemented by oral and injectable vaccination activities in high-risk locations, while a September subnational campaign reached more than 29.3 million children.

The next subnational campaign is scheduled for November 2 to 8 and is expected to cover nearly 24 million children across 97 districts, including every district of Karachi. The exercise will be coordinated with vaccination activities in Afghanistan to reduce the risk of cross-border transmission.

Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis and, in severe cases, death. No cure is available, but repeated vaccination can prevent infection and build immunity. Health authorities have urged parents and caregivers to ensure that every child under five receives vaccine drops during each campaign and completes all routine immunisations.