Pakistan reports its 1st polio case of 2026

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan on Thursday confirmed its first polio case of the year in southern Sindh province, where a four-year-old boy was paralyzed by the crippling virus.

Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication (NEOC), in a statement, said that the case was confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.

The case was reported from Bello Union Council, Sujawal district, Sindh.

NEOC said to protect over 45 million children in the country from the polio virus, the government already implemented a nationwide polio campaign, and the second one will be held in April.

"Despite challenges, eradicating the global public threat of polio in Pakistan and worldwide is within reach, and the PEI (Polio Eradication Program) continues to intensify its efforts to leave no child behind," said the center.

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

Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and even death. However, it can be prevented through polio vaccines, which are safe and effective and have been widely used in 195 countries, including all Muslim countries, according to the statement.