A female health worker administers anti-polio drops to a student at a Montessori in the Saddar area during polio vaccination drive in October 2025. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS
The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication on Monday confirmed Pakistan’s seventh polio case of the year in Karachi East, Sindh, underscoring the urgent need for consistent vaccination to protect children against the paralytic disease, which has no cure but can be prevented through vaccination.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus that primarily affects children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or death. While there is no cure for the disease, vaccination remains the most effective means of prevention. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus is endemic.
According to a press release issued by the NEOC, the affected child is a six-month-old boy from Union Council Jamali Colony in Karachi East. The case was detected through the polio surveillance network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Read: 2.2m kids vaccinated against polio
The NEOC said a comprehensive investigation into the case had been launched.
“The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is already analysing the best science-based response to tackle and prevent further transmission, including targeted vaccination activities and support to strengthen routine immunisation,” the press release stated.
The statement noted that Karachi’s last reported polio case was in December 2024, almost two years ago.
Despite an overall decline in wild poliovirus transmission, Karachi has continued to report environmental detections of the virus throughout the year, indicating that transmission remains a threat to children.
Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8%, according to the NEOC. The estimated number of cases fell from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025. Seven cases have been reported so far this year.
Read more: K-P’s Bannu reports fifth poliovirus case of the year
Of the seven cases reported this year, five are from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including four from the province’s southern districts, while the remaining two are from Sindh.
According to the NEOC, Pakistan has conducted four large-scale polio vaccination campaigns this year, targeting more than 45 million children. These efforts have been complemented by smaller, targeted oral and injectable vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas.
A subnational campaign in September vaccinated more than 29.3 million children across the country, the NEOC said. The next vaccination campaign is scheduled to run from November 2 to 8, targeting nearly 24 million children in 97 districts, including all districts of Karachi.
The PEI urged parents and communities to ensure that all children under the age of five receive polio vaccines during every campaign.
