Flu and Pneumonia Cases in Pakistan 2026: Weekly ILI, SARI and Child Pneumonia Count (Latest: Week 41)

Short answer: flu-like illness in Pakistan has risen for four weeks in a row, to 47,417 suspected cases in week 41 of 2026. Pneumonia in children under five rose too, to 15,396. Both figures come from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) weekly disease bulletin, posted on 28 October. Punjab did not report, so the real national count is higher.

Winter is the season for flu and chest infections. This page tracks the weekly counts from NIH by province and district, and shows what NIH's lab network found when it tested samples for influenza, Covid-19 and RSV. We will update it with each new bulletin.

Flu-like illness has climbed every week since week 37

NIH counted 41,735 suspected flu-like illness cases in week 37 and 47,417 in week 41, a rise of 14 per cent. Pneumonia in children under five rose 28 per cent over the same weeks. Severe acute respiratory infection moved between 1,410 and 1,869.

The bulletin uses three terms. Influenza-like illness, or ILI, means a fever with a cough or sore throat. Acute lower respiratory infection in children under five, or ALRI, is mostly pneumonia. Severe acute respiratory infection, or SARI, is a chest infection serious enough for hospital admission.

All of these are suspected cases reported by health facilities. They are not lab confirmed. In week 41, 86 per cent of expected reports from 158 districts arrived.

Sindh reports most cases, Balochistan is second

Sindh reported 30,398 flu-like illness cases in week 41 and Balochistan 9,084. For child pneumonia, Sindh reported 10,405 and Balochistan 2,471. Islamabad reported 1,998 flu-like cases but only 2 child pneumonia cases.

District tables show where the counts are highest. In Sindh, Karachi Malir reported 3,674 flu-like cases, Badin 3,608, Karachi Central 3,362, Thatta 3,085 and Sukkur 2,773. In Balochistan, Kech reported 1,059, Quetta 1,022 and Gwadar 1,002. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Swabi led with 882 and Battagram had 690.

Labs found influenza A in 14 of 85 samples

NIH's National Influenza Centre tests samples from sentinel hospitals. In week 41 it reported 85 samples from flu-like and severe cases. Influenza A was found in 14 and influenza B in 1. Covid-19 and RSV were found in none.

The positive samples came from Punjab (8 influenza A and 1 influenza B), Islamabad (5) and Gilgit-Baltistan (1). In week 40, the same network found influenza A in 9 samples. These are small numbers from a few hospitals, but they confirm that seasonal flu is circulating. Note that Punjab's sentinel hospitals send samples even though the province is missing from the weekly case count.

Protect your family with the free and paid options

The seasonal flu vaccine is the main protection against influenza, and it matters most for high risk groups. Pneumonia vaccine for babies is part of the free government schedule. For a sick child, fast breathing is the danger sign to watch.

1. Check that your baby has had the free pneumococcal (PCV) doses on the government immunisation schedule. See our EPI vaccination schedule.
2. Ask about the seasonal flu vaccine for older people, pregnant women and anyone with a long term illness. Our flu vaccine guide for 2026 lists where to get it.
3. Learn to count a child's breathing rate. Our page on pneumonia signs in children gives the official danger signs.
4. Keep a sick person at home, cover coughs and wash hands often.
5. Go to a doctor straight away for breathing difficulty, chest pain, blue lips or a child who cannot drink.

We give no treatment advice beyond official guidance. Antibiotics do not treat flu, and a doctor should decide on any medicine. To tell a cold from flu, see NIH's guide to cold and flu symptoms.

Read the latest figures yourself

The NIH bulletin is a free PDF. Table 1 has the province counts, Tables 2 to 4 have district counts for Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Table 5 has the lab results, including the influenza section near the end.

Open the NIH weekly bulletin page and download the newest 2026 file. A district marked NR has not reported, which is different from zero cases. For the week 40 detail, see our week 40 flu report.

Common questions

How many flu cases are there in Pakistan now?

NIH's latest bulletin, for week 41 of 2026, counts 47,417 suspected flu-like illness cases in one week. Punjab is not included.

Is flu increasing in Pakistan?

Yes. Suspected flu-like illness rose every week from week 37 (41,735) to week 41 (47,417). Labs found influenza A in 14 of 85 samples in week 41.

How many children have pneumonia in Pakistan this week?

The week 41 bulletin lists 15,396 suspected pneumonia cases in children under five, up from 12,028 in week 37. Sindh reported 10,405.

Was Covid-19 found in the latest NIH tests?

No. In week 41, none of the 85 sentinel samples tested positive for Covid-19 or RSV.

Which city has the most flu cases?

Among districts listed, Karachi Malir reported the most in week 41 with 3,674, followed by Badin (3,608) and Karachi Central (3,362).

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the NIH IDSR weekly bulletins for weeks 37 to 41 of 2026 from the NIH weekly bulletin page on 4 November 2026. Weekly counts are from Table 1, district counts from Tables 2 to 4 of week 41, and influenza, Covid-19 and RSV results from the sentinel section of Table 5. Percentages and sums are our own arithmetic.