Islamabad, March 5: A new case of polio virus has emerged in Pakistan, marking the first wild polio virus case of 2026. The infection was detected in a four-year-old child from the Bello Union Council in the Sujawal district of Sindh province.
According to local media, the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication (NEOC) confirmed the case through the polio surveillance network and the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where the wild poliovirus remains endemic. Polio workers in Pakistan have frequently faced attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Local reports indicate that during the first polio campaign of 2026, nearly one million children were not vaccinated, with 53,000 children refusing the vaccine. The highest percentage of refusals, 58%, came from Karachi.
As reported by Dawn, over 44.3 million children in Pakistan received polio drops. The campaign achieved a remarkable 98% coverage in house-to-house vaccination, leaving only 2% of children unvaccinated. However, given Pakistan’s large population, the number of children who missed out on the vaccine remains significant.
Overall, it was reported that 0.95 million children were missed during the 2026 polio campaign. Most of these children (0.67 million) did not receive polio vaccinations because they were not at home during the campaign. Additionally, 2.5 million guest children were administered polio drops, likely including many who were absent during the vaccination period.
An official stated that due to security issues, community boycotts, and harsh weather conditions, 233,000 children were reported as missed. Among these, 184,000 children were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while around 50,000 children from Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (POGB) were inaccessible due to snowy conditions and lack of campaign activity.
According to Dawn, the polio eradication campaign was postponed in areas such as Mastung, Gwadar, Chagai, and Awaran in Balochistan due to security concerns. A total of 0.14% of the targeted children refused the vaccine, with Karachi accounting for the largest share of 31,000 refusals.
The statement revealed that over 22.9 million children in Punjab, more than 10.5 million in Sindh, over 7.13 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and over 2.3 million in Balochistan received polio drops during the campaign.
During the campaign, over 455,000 children in Islamabad, approximately 261,000 in POGB, and more than 673,000 in POJK were vaccinated.
My name is Narendra Jijhontiya. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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