ISLAMABAD – Pakistan reported first polio case of 2026 as the highly contagious virus has been detected in 4-year-old boy in Sajawal Sindh.
Pakistan National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication has confirmed the first wild polio case of 2026. The infection was detected in a four-year-old child from Bello Union Council in Sujawal District, Sindh, and verified through Pakistan’s nationwide surveillance network as well as the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Authorities have announced immediate response measures as they race to prevent further transmission of the deadly virus.
The case involves wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), a highly contagious strain that continues to threaten public health in core reservoirs such as Sindh. Pakistan reported 31 cases in 2025, underscoring that eradication efforts remain challenged by gaps in vaccination coverage and surveillance. Officials stress that urgent containment actions are being planned to stop the virus from spreading further.
Pakistan conducts multiple nationwide immunization campaigns each year, deploying more than 400,000 health workers to vaccinate approximately 45 million children under the age of five through door-to-door drives. The latest campaign in February 2026 targeted over 45 million children across 159 districts, yet authorities acknowledge that pockets of under-vaccinated communities allow the virus to persist.
Earlier this year, Polio virus was detected in sewage samples across Pakistan, with dozens testing positive. Testing by the Pakistan National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication and the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed contamination in multiple regions.
Most positive samples came from Sindh, while cases were also found in KP, Punjab, and Balochistan. No virus was detected in samples from Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Another polio case reported in Pakistan, bringing 2025 total to 31
