# Karachi Reports First Polio Case in Over 1.5 Years

> Pakistan's first polio case in Karachi since December 2024 brings national tally to 7 this year.
- Title: Karachi Reports First Polio Case in Over 1.5 Years · Dawn
- Summary: Pakistan's first polio case in Karachi since December 2024 brings national tally to 7 this year. Pakistan reports its seventh polio case of 2026, with a…
- Keywords: pakistan, polio, karachi, wild poliovirus, national polio tally, polio eradication, news, politics, Reports, First, Case, Years
- Source: Dawn — https://dawn.com/news/2038299/karachi-reports-its-first-polio-case-in-over-15-years-bringing-this-years-countrywide-tally-to-7
- Author: Ikram Junaidi
- Published: 2026-10-19T14:45:08+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: pakistan, polio, karachi, wild poliovirus, national polio tally, polio eradication, news, politics
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Pakistan reports its seventh polio case of 2026, with a six-month-old boy from Karachi testing positive for wild poliovirus.