Pakistan confirms first Polio infection of 2026 in four-year-old child

Pakistan has reported its first confirmed case of poliovirus infection this year, health authorities said on Thursday, highlighting that the disease remains a persistent public health challenge in the country.

According to officials, the infection was detected in a four-year-old child from Sujawal district in Sindh province . The case was identified through Pakistan’s polio surveillance network and later confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad .

The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication said authorities are evaluating the situation and planning an appropriate response to prevent further spread of the virus. Health officials emphasised that although the disease continues to pose a risk, its complete eradication is achievable with sustained immunisation efforts.

Pakistan remains one of the last two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic, alongside neighbouring Afghanistan. Despite ongoing vaccination campaigns, factors such as vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, security concerns in certain regions and challenges in reaching remote communities have slowed the final push towards eradication.

Over the past three decades, however, the country has made significant progress. Since 1994, polio cases have declined by 99.8 per cent , dropping from an estimated 20,000 cases annually in the early 1990s to 31 cases in 2025 .

In 2026, Pakistan has already conducted a nationwide immunisation campaign covering more than 45 million children , with another large-scale drive scheduled for April.

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis, particularly in young children. Although there is no cure, the disease can be prevented through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and routine immunisation programmes targeting children under the age of five.