Pakistan Reports First Polio Case of 2026 from Sindh

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) for Polio Eradication on Thursday confirmed the first wild polio case of 2026 in a four-year-old child from Bello Union Council, Sujawal district, Sindh.

The case was reported through the polio surveillance network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad. The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is already analyzing the best response to tackle and prevent further transmission.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where wild poliovirus (WPV1) remains endemic, sharing a high-risk transmission corridor. Despite over 99% reductions since the 1990s, cases persist due to security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and population movement. As of March 2026, 2025 has seen9 new cases (5 in Afghanistan, 4 in Pakistan).

Despite challenges, eradicating the global public threat of polio in Pakistan and worldwide is within reach, and the PEI continues to intensify its efforts to leave no child behind.

Since 1994, due to polio vaccines, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8%, from 20,000 estimated cases in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025.

In 2026, Pakistan has already implemented a nationwide polio campaign that protected over 45 million children, while the next national campaign is planned in April. In 2025, Pakistan’s PEI carried out five nationwide campaigns, in addition to targeted rounds of oral and injectable polio vaccination and integrated activities with the national routine immunization programme.

The PEI urged all parents and caregivers to ensure that their children were vaccinated during every campaign to protect them from lifelong disability and/or death. The PEI said communities, religious leaders, and the media also played a vital role in promoting vaccination, countering misinformation, and ensuring that every child in Pakistan is protected. “Together, we can achieve a polio-free future for every child, in Pakistan and worldwide”, it added.