Pakistan reports 7th polio case of the year as Karachi records first infection since 2024

Pakistan has recorded its seventh polio case this year, after a six-month-old boy from Karachi's East district tested positive for wild poliovirus, the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) announced on Monday (Oct 19). The child lives in Union Council Jamali Colony and was identified through the country's polio surveillance network. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Islamabad confirmed the case, according to an NEOC statement. The centre said the infant was malnourished and had been infected by virus already circulating in Karachi reported news outlet Dawn.

A polio programme official said as mentioned in the report that this is the first case reported from the city since December 2024. Karachi has seen intense virus circulation over the past two years, though door-to-door vaccination drives and improved routine immunisation had sharply reduced transmission. Only one environmental surveillance site in the city tested positive in September. The NEOC cautioned, however, that vulnerable children remain at risk as long as the virus continues to circulate.

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Authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation. The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is assessing the "best science-based response to tackle and prevent further transmission, including targeted vaccination activities and support to strengthen routine immunisation", Dawn reported.

Of the seven cases detected nationwide this year, five were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), including four from Bannu division, while two were from Sindh. The latest case comes about two weeks after the sixth was reported from KP's Khyber district, where a seven-year-old boy tested positive. Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and, in some cases, death. It can be prevented through safe and effective vaccines, and the NEOC stressed the importance of immunising children. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the disease is still endemic.

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According to the NEOC, Pakistan has achieved a 99.8 per cent reduction in cases, from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025. Seven cases have been reported so far in 2026.

Four nationwide polio campaigns have been held this year, reaching more than 45 million children multiple times. Targeted oral and injectable vaccination activities have also been carried out in high-risk areas. The next subnational campaign is scheduled for November 2 to 8. It will target nearly 24 million children in 97 districts, including all districts of Karachi, and will be synchronised with Afghanistan.