TB Cases in Pakistan, Week 42 2026: 12,263 Suspected, Sindh 11,809 and Sanghar Leads

TB is a lung infection that spreads through coughing, and it can be cured with free treatment from government TB centres. A cough lasting more than two weeks is the main warning sign. Below are the province and district figures, the lab results, and where to get a free TB test.

Suspected TB cases rose 5 per cent to 12,263 in week 42

The NIH bulletin counted 12,263 suspected TB cases in week 42, against 11,649 in week 41. That is 614 more, a rise of about 5 per cent. The bulletin lists TB among the respiratory illnesses that increased this week, along with flu-like illness and chest infections.

TB was the fifth most reported illness in the country in week 42, after diarrhoea, malaria, flu-like illness and chest infections in children under five. Punjab did not report into the system, so its patients are not in these figures.

Sindh reports almost all suspected TB, led by Sanghar and Larkana

Sindh's 11,809 cases dwarf every other province. That gap reflects how Sindh's clinics report, not only how much TB there is. Sindh sent 99 per cent of its expected weekly reports in week 42, the best rate in the country, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sent 82 per cent and Islamabad 47 per cent.

Within Sindh, Sanghar had 970 suspected cases, Larkana 901, Badin 898, Kamber 848 and Khairpur 835. Karachi's seven districts together reported 425, led by Malir with 135 and Karachi West with 133.

Labs confirmed TB in 85 of 1,023 samples

Public health labs tested 1,023 samples for TB in week 42 and found 85 positive, about 8 per cent. Sindh found 71 positive of 826, Balochistan 11 of 127, Azad Kashmir 3 of 44 and Gilgit-Baltistan none of 26. In week 41, labs tested 1,213 samples and found 111 positive.

So most people logged as suspected TB do not have it confirmed in the same week. Many are still waiting for test results, and some will turn out to have another chest illness. The suspected count measures how many people with a long cough reached a clinic.

Get tested free if a cough lasts two weeks

TB tests and medicines are free at government TB centres across Pakistan. Treatment usually lasts six months, and stopping early can make the germ resistant to the medicines.

1. See a doctor if a cough lasts more than two weeks, or comes with fever, night sweats or weight loss.
2. Ask for a sputum test, a test of the mucus you cough up, at a government TB centre.
3. If TB is found, take every dose for the full course, even after you feel better.
4. Cover your mouth when you cough and keep rooms aired while you are infectious.
5. Ask for family members, especially children, to be checked too.

Our guide to getting a free TB test and treatment in Pakistan lists the centres by province. In Karachi, the Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases runs free TB clinics.

How we read the week 42 bulletin, and where it trips readers up

We opened the NIH weekly bulletin page on 12 November 2026. The week 42 file sits at the top of the list as a PDF of about 2.6 MB and 25 pages. The TB figures by province are in Table 1 on page 5, and the Sindh district table is on page 7, with lab results in Table 5 on page 16.

Two things slowed us down. Punjab's column reads NR, short for not reported, in every row, so the national total is not truly national. And the bulletin files are not named the same way each week: week 42 is 'Weekly Report-42-2026', but week 41 is 'IDSRS Weekly Report-41-2026-NA'. When we typed the week 41 address in the week 42 style, the site returned a web page instead of the PDF. Use the links on the list rather than guessing the address. Our guide to checking disease cases in your district from the NIH bulletin shows how to find your own district.

Common questions

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

12,263 suspected cases, up from 11,649 in week 41, according to the NIH bulletin posted on 11 November 2026.

Which district has the most TB cases?

Sanghar in Sindh, with 970 suspected cases. Larkana was second with 901.

How many TB cases were confirmed by a lab?

85 of 1,023 samples tested in week 42, about 8 per cent.

Is TB treatment free in Pakistan?

Yes. Government TB centres give tests and medicines free of charge.

Why are Sindh's TB numbers so much higher?

Sindh's clinics report far more completely, 99 per cent of expected reports in week 42, and Punjab does not report at all.

How we verified this

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

We downloaded the NIH IDSR bulletins for weeks 41 and 42 of 2026 from the NIH weekly bulletin page on 12 November 2026 and read Tables 1, 2 and 5 and the reporting compliance table. The bulletin does not split drug resistant TB. Our week 38 TB report has figures from four weeks ago.