ISLAMABAD, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan has confirmed its first wild polio case of 2026 in a four-year-old child in the country's southern Sindh province, the country's polio eradication authorities said on Thursday.
The case was detected in Sujawal district through the national polio surveillance network, the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication said in a statement.
Authorities said the Polio Eradication Initiative is analyzing the situation to determine the best response to prevent further transmission of the virus.
Pakistan remains one of the few countries in the world where the wild polio virus is still endemic. However, officials said that eradicating the disease remains within reach due to sustained immunization efforts.
In 2026, Pakistan has already conducted a nationwide anti-polio campaign that vaccinated more than 45 million children, while the next national campaign is scheduled for April. ■
