The latest polio cases in Pakistan now total seven this year, after the NEOC, the emergency centre for polio eradication, confirmed a new case in Karachi East, Sindh, on Monday. The patient is a six-month-old boy from the Jamali Colony union council. The NEOC said the case is a reminder that children need regular vaccination against a disease that can leave them paralysed and lacks a cure, though vaccines can prevent it.
Karachi case and where the others are
The case was picked up by the country's surveillance system, which tests children for the virus, and a laboratory in Islamabad confirmed the result. The NEOC said an investigation into the case has been opened. Karachi polio cases had not been reported since December 2024, a gap the NEOC described as nearly two years.
Even so, environmental samples in the city have kept showing the virus through the year, a sign that the danger to children has not passed. Of the seven cases this year, five are in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), and four of those five are in the southern districts of that province. Sindh accounts for the remaining two, including the new Karachi case, so the latest polio cases in Pakistan are concentrated in K-P and Sindh.
Estimated cases stood near 20,000 during the early 1990s, against 31 in 2025, and the NEOC said this amounts to a cut of 99.8 percent in polio cases.
Vaccination drives and the next round
The NEOC said Pakistan has held four major vaccination rounds this year, which together aimed at over 45 million children, backed by smaller oral and injectable drives in high-risk areas. A subnational drive in September reached 29.3 million children nationwide. The next round is set for November 2 to 8, when close to 24 million children, spread over 97 districts, are to be vaccinated, including every district in Karachi.
The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) said it is studying the most suitable science-based response to stop further spread, including targeted vaccination and support for routine immunisation. It urged families to make sure every child under five receives the vaccine in each campaign.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- December 2024: The last polio case reported in Karachi before this one, according to the NEOC.
- September (this year): A subnational campaign reached 29.3 million children nationwide.
- Monday: The NEOC confirmed the seventh polio case of the year nationally, in Karachi East.
- November 2 to 8: The next campaign is scheduled, targeting close to 24 million children in 97 districts.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan mein polio ke is saal ab tak saat case ho gaye hain, aur naya case Karachi East mein tasdeeq hua hai. Yeh ek chhe maah ka bacha hai, aur Karachi mein is se pehle December 2024 mein case report hua tha. Iska matlab hai ke bachon ko polio ki drops aur vaccine ki har round mein zaroor dilwayein. Agli vaccination 2 se 8 November ko hogi, is liye apne ilaqe ki maloomat rakhein.
