Pakistan, Oct. 20 -- Karachi has reported its first polio case since December 2024, with a six-month-old boy from Jamali Colony testing positive for wild poliovirus. The diagnosis brings Pakistan's tally to seven this year, including five cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two from Sindh. The child was reportedly malnourished, a detail that speaks to the wider deprivation confronting countless families in the country's largest metropolis. That another polio case has emerged after nearly two years deserves serious attention, particularly when the city has been the focus of repeated vaccination drives.

Pakistan's overall progress is undeniable. The country recorded 74 polio cases in 2024 and 31 last year, against seven so far in 2026. Four ...