Karachi records first polio case in more than a year and a half — Dawn
In Karachi, Pakistan, a six-month-old boy from Karachi East district was confirmed to have been infected with wild poliovirus. This is the seventh polio case in the country since the start of 2026 and the first registered in the city since December 2024, Dawn reports.
The child is from the Jamali Colony local council. The case was detected by the polio epidemiological surveillance network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Centre said that the child was malnourished and became infected due to virus circulation that had already been recorded in Karachi. In September, poliovirus was detected at only one environmental monitoring site in the city, but according to the centre, children in at-risk groups remain vulnerable as long as the virus continues to circulate.
Investigation and vaccination
A comprehensive investigation was launched after the case was detected. The polio eradication initiative is assessing measures to prevent further virus transmission, including targeted vaccination campaigns and strengthening routine immunisation.
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Over the past two years, Karachi has faced intensive virus circulation. At the same time, door-to-door child vaccination campaigns and improvements in basic immunisation have contributed to a substantial reduction in infection transmission.
Seven cases in the country
Of the seven polio cases detected in Pakistan this year, five were recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including four in Bannu division. Another two cases were reported in Sindh province, where Karachi is located. The previous, sixth case this year was detected about two weeks ago in Khyber district in a seven-year-old boy.
Polio is a highly infectious incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and, in some cases, death, but it can be prevented through vaccination. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is endemic. According to the centre, the number of cases in Pakistan has fallen by about 99.8%, from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025.
Four nationwide vaccination campaigns have already been conducted in the country in 2026, repeatedly reaching more than 45 million children. The next subnational campaign is scheduled for November 2–8: it is expected to cover nearly 24 million children in 97 districts, including all areas of Karachi, in sync with Afghanistan.
