Polio Cases in Pakistan till 2026 All Provinces

Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where polio still exists. Despite years of vaccination campaigns, the virus keeps coming back in different provinces. This article covers all polio cases from 2015 to 2026, province by province, in simple words.

Point 1 — What is Polio?

Polio is a dangerous virus that attacks the nervous system
It can permanently paralyze children, especially under age 5
There is no cure — only prevention through vaccine
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries still fighting this virus

Point 2 — 2019 Was the Worst Year

Pakistan recorded 147 polio cases in 2019
This was the highest number in over 10 years
KPK alone had 93 cases in that single year
Main reasons were vaccine refusals and missed children during campaigns
Sindh had 30 cases and Punjab had 12 cases the same year

Point 3 — KPK Is the Most Affected Province

KPK has recorded 214 total WPV cases from 2015 to 2025
That is nearly half of all cases in Pakistan
Difficult mountains, tribal areas, and security problems make vaccination very hard
Hundreds of thousands of children are missed every campaign
Even in good years, KPK almost always still has cases

Point 4 — Sindh Is the Second Most Affected

Sindh has recorded 104 total cases from 2015 to 2025
Karachi's crowded slums are a major hotspot
The virus spreads easily in areas with poor sanitation and dirty water
Sindh had 30 cases in 2019, 23 in 2024, and 4 in 2025

Point 5 — Balochistan Faces Constant Risk

Balochistan has recorded 81 total cases from 2015 to 2025
Cases appear almost every single year without a break
The province is very large with few health facilities
Movement of Afghan refugees across the border also spreads the virus
2024 was very bad — Balochistan alone had 27 cases that year

Point 6 — Punjab Has Low but Real Risk

Punjab recorded 31 total cases from 2015 to 2025
Numbers are lower but the virus does appear in bad years
2019 and 2020 were the worst years for Punjab with 12 and 14 cases
Urban slums in Lahore also carry risk

Point 7 — GB, AJK and ICT Are Mostly Safe

Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad have recorded only 2 to 3 total cases in 10 years
Smaller populations and better health access help keep numbers very low
But one imported case from an endemic area can always cause a new outbreak

Point 8 — 2021 Was a Historic Low

Only 1 polio case was recorded in the entire country in 2021
This was the lowest number Pakistan had ever seen
It proved that strong, well-organized campaigns can nearly eliminate the virus
The key was better campaign quality, more trained workers, and community cooperation

Point 9 — 2024 Saw a Dangerous Comeback

Cases jumped from just 6 in 2023 to 74 in 2024
Balochistan, Sindh, and KPK all went up at the same time
The main reason was COVID-19 — campaigns were stopped for two years
Many children born during that time never received a single vaccine dose
Those unvaccinated children became easy targets for the virus

Point 10 — 2025 Showed Progress Again

Total cases dropped to 31 in 2025 from 74 in 2024
Five nationwide vaccination campaigns were carried out across Pakistan
Millions of children under age 5 were vaccinated door to door
But virus was still found in sewage samples across many cities

Point 11 — 2026 Has Started With 3 Cases

The first case of 2026 was a 4-year-old child from Sujawal district, Sindh
As of April 2026, Pakistan has recorded 3 confirmed cases
A nationwide campaign in February 2026 vaccinated over 45 million children
The virus was also detected in sewage samples in Punjab and other provinces
Health officials say some communities still have unvaccinated children

Point 12 — Why Does Polio Keep Coming Back?

Vaccine refusals in some communities
Security issues in KPK and Balochistan — workers cannot reach every area
Cross-border movement with Afghanistan
Children missed in previous campaigns grow up without immunity
Poor sanitation helps the virus survive and spread in communities
Disruptions like COVID-19 create vaccination gaps

Conclusion
Pakistan has made real progress against polio over the years. From 147 cases in 2019 down to just 3 in early 2026, the trend is slowly improving. But the virus has not been defeated yet. Every missed child is a risk. Every skipped campaign gives the virus a chance to come back. Pakistan needs to reach 100% of children in every single district — especially in KPK, Sindh, and Balochistan — to finally end polio for good.