Karachi reports first polio case in over 1.5 years

Pakistan has reported its seventh polio case of the year, with a six-month-old boy from Karachi’s East district testing positive for wild poliovirus.

“The affected child belongs to Union Council Jamali Colony and was identified through the polio surveillance network”

Case confirmed by national health lab

The case was confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health in Islamabad.

Child malnourished and vulnerable

The child was malnourished and had fallen victim to virus circulation already present in Karachi.

First case in Karachi since December 2024

The latest case is the first reported from Karachi since December 2024.

Karachi faces ongoing virus circulation

Karachi has faced intense virus circulation for the past two years, although focused door-to-door vaccination campaigns and improvements in essential immunisation had contributed to a marked reduction in transmission.

Single positive test in September

Only one environmental surveillance site in Karachi tested positive in September.

Vulnerable children remain at risk

Vulnerable children remained at risk as long as the virus continued to circulate.

Comprehensive investigation launched

A comprehensive investigation has been launched, while the Polio Eradication Initiative is assessing the best science-based response to tackle and prevent further transmission.

National polio tally breakdown

Of the seven cases detected across Pakistan this year, five were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including four from Bannu division, and two from Sindh.

Recent case timing

The latest case emerged about two weeks after this year’s sixth case was reported from KP’s Khyber district.

Polio disease impact

Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and, in some cases, death.

Polio eradication progress

Pakistan had recorded a 99.8 per cent reduction in polio cases from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2.

National vaccination campaigns

Four nationwide polio campaigns have already been conducted in 2026, protecting more than 45 million children multiple times.

Next vaccination campaign

The next subnational campaign is scheduled for Nov 2-8 and will target nearly 24m children in 97 districts, including all districts of Karachi.