Flu Cases in Pakistan, Week 42 2026: 51,807 Flu-Like Illnesses, Severe Chest Infections Up 27%

Pneumonia in children under five rose too, to 16,661. This is the fifth weekly rise in a row for flu-like illness as winter sets in. Almost the whole jump in severe cases came from one province, Balochistan. Punjab again did not report, so the true national count is higher. Below are the figures by province and district, the influenza lab results, and when a cough needs a doctor.

Flu-like illness rose 9 per cent to 51,807 cases in week 42

NIH counts 51,807 cases of influenza-like illness, or ILI, in week 42. That is 4,390 more than in week 41, a rise of about 9 per cent. ILI means a fever with a cough or sore throat. It covers flu but also other viruses, so it is a measure of pressure on clinics rather than a count of confirmed flu.

Two other measures moved the same way. Acute lower respiratory infection in children under five, which is mostly pneumonia, rose from 15,396 to 16,661. Severe acute respiratory infection, or SARI, meaning patients sick enough to be admitted, rose from 1,805 to 2,285.

Our flu and pneumonia tracker for 2026 has every week since week 37 in one table.

Balochistan's severe chest cases jumped from 765 to 1,253

Balochistan reported 1,253 SARI cases in week 42, up from 765. That rise of 488 is more than the whole national rise of 480, because Sindh fell slightly, from 445 to 418. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was steady at 433.

Inside Balochistan, Dera Bugti alone reported 320 SARI cases. Kachhi (Bolan) had 116, Quetta 113 and Pishin 97. The bulletin does not explain the Dera Bugti figure. Balochistan's ILI count also rose, to 10,689, led by Quetta with 1,765, Gwadar with 1,115 and Kech with 940.

Badin, Karachi Malir and Thatta lead Sindh's flu-like illness

Sindh sent 32,387 of the 51,807 ILI cases, about 63 per cent. Badin reported the most, 3,963. Karachi Malir had 3,674, Thatta 3,078, Karachi Central 3,024 and Sukkur 2,794. Naushero Feroze followed with 2,309.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Swabi led with 1,070 ILI cases, then Haripur with 692, Mansehra with 577 and Battagram with 513. NIH says ILI rose in Islamabad and Azad Kashmir as well this week.

Labs found influenza A in 14 samples and influenza B in 3

NIH's National Influenza Centre tests samples from 12 hospital sentinel sites. In week 42 these sites sent 44 ILI samples and 75 SARI samples, 119 in all. Influenza A was found in 14 of them: 4 ILI and 9 SARI samples from Punjab, and 1 ILI sample from Islamabad.

Influenza B was found in 3 SARI samples, one each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Punjab. None of the 119 samples tested positive for Covid-19 or RSV at these sites. In week 41, the same network found influenza A in 14 of 85 samples. So flu is clearly circulating, mostly type A, and mostly in the Punjab samples, even though Punjab's clinic counts are missing.

When a cough or fever needs a doctor

Most flu-like illness passes in a week with rest and fluids. A few signs mean the chest is involved and a doctor should see the patient the same day.

1. Count a child's breathing while they are calm. Fast breathing or the chest pulling in is a sign of pneumonia. Our guide to child pneumonia signs gives the breathing rates by age.
2. Take an adult to a doctor if breathlessness, chest pain, or a fever that lasts more than three days appears.
3. Older people, pregnant women and anyone with asthma, heart or lung disease should see a doctor early, not wait.
4. Stay home when sick, cover coughs and wash hands, so the virus does not spread through the family.
5. Ask your doctor about the yearly flu vaccine if you are in a high risk group. Our page on how to tell a cold from flu explains NIH's own advice.

Common questions

How many flu cases did Pakistan report in week 42 of 2026?

51,807 suspected cases of flu-like illness, up from 47,417 in week 41, according to the NIH bulletin posted on 11 November 2026.

Is flu confirmed in Pakistan this winter?

Yes. NIH's sentinel labs found influenza A in 14 samples and influenza B in 3 samples in week 42, out of 119 tested.

Which province has the most severe chest infections?

Balochistan, with 1,253 SARI cases in week 42, up from 765. Dera Bugti alone reported 320.

How many children had pneumonia this week?

NIH counted 16,661 suspected cases of acute lower respiratory infection in children under five, up from 15,396. Sindh had 11,275 of them.

Why is Punjab missing from the flu figures?

Punjab did not report into the NIH clinic surveillance system in week 42, so it is marked "not reported". Its sentinel hospital samples are still tested.

How we verified this

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

We read the NIH Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response weekly bulletin for week 42 of 2026 on the NIH weekly bulletin page on 12 November 2026. The file was posted on the evening of 11 November. We used Table 1 for provinces, Tables 2 to 4 for districts and Table 5 for the influenza lab results, and compared them with the week 41 bulletin. The bulletin does not give the calendar dates of week 42 or the reason for the Dera Bugti rise. All clinic counts are suspected cases.