Pakistan has confirmed its first case of wild polio in 2026 after health authorities detected the virus in a four-year-old child from Bello Union Council in District Sujawal, Sindh.
The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication confirmed the case on Thursday, saying it was identified through the surveillance network and verified by the Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Health officials described polio as a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis, stressing that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine remain the only effective protection.
The Polio Eradication Initiative said it is analysing the most effective response measures to prevent further transmission following the confirmation of the latest case in the region.
Authorities said eradicating polio in Pakistan and worldwide remains achievable despite challenges, as the initiative continues to intensify its efforts to ensure that every eligible child receives vaccination.
According to the National Emergency Operations Centre, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8 per cent since 1994, when an estimated 20,000 cases were recorded annually during the early 1990s.
The country reported 31 cases in 2025, reflecting a significant decline compared with earlier decades following sustained vaccination campaigns and wider public health interventions.
Officials said a nationwide polio campaign conducted earlier this year vaccinated more than 45 million children, while another countrywide immunisation drive is scheduled to take place in April.
During 2025, the Polio Eradication Initiative implemented five nationwide campaigns along with targeted vaccination rounds using oral and injectable polio vaccines integrated with the national routine immunisation programme.
The centre said that although overall detections declined compared with 2024, virus circulation continues in several high-risk locations, including districts of Sindh and southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Health authorities warned that these detections highlight the ongoing need for targeted efforts to interrupt transmission and ensure that children consistently receive vaccination during each campaign.
Officials described polio eradication as a shared responsibility, noting that frontline health workers deliver vaccines while parents and caregivers must ensure that children receive all recommended doses.
Pakistan remains one of the last two countries where polio is still endemic, alongside Afghanistan, with the country reporting 31 confirmed cases during 2025.
Officials said the most recent nationwide campaign aimed to vaccinate 45.4 million children under five years old, but 44.6 million were immunised after refusals were reported across the country.
