The first polio case of 2026 has been reported in the Bello Union Council of Sujawal district, Sindh, officials said on Thursday.

The case involves a four-year-old child who tested positive for the wild polio virus.

The diagnosis was confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.

According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), Pakistan has made significant progress in combating polio, recording a 99.8 per cent decline in cases since 1994.

Last year, the country reported a total of 31 polio cases.

The NEOC highlighted that during this year’s anti-polio campaign, over 45 million children received the polio vaccine.

Authorities have already announced plans to launch the next nationwide anti-polio drive in April 2026.

While the programme has achieved substantial success, the polio virus continues to circulate in certain districts of Sindh and southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.