Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) announced the country’s first wild poliovirus case of 2026 on Thursday. The infection was detected in a four-year-old child from Bello Union Council in Sujawal district, southern Sindh province, highlighting persistent challenges in high-risk areas despite ongoing vaccination drives.
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Case Details and Confirmation The case emerged through routine polio surveillance and was verified by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad.
Health officials described it as a setback in efforts to eliminate the virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis or death but is fully preventable with safe, effective vaccines used in 195 countries, including Muslim-majority nations.
Response and Broader Context The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is analyzing the situation to craft a targeted response and prevent further spread. Pakistan launched a nationwide campaign earlier in 2026, reaching over 45 million children, with another planned for April.
Officials stressed collective responsibility, urging parents to ensure full vaccination doses, including routine immunizations. In 2025, the country recorded 31 cases after five nationwide campaigns, showing a decline from 2024 detections but ongoing circulation in Sindh and southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Since 1994, cases have dropped 99.8% from an estimated 20,000 annually.
The PEI called on communities, religious leaders, and media to combat misinformation and support vaccination to achieve a polio-free Pakistan and world.