By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ramping up its fight against a polio resurgence after environmental surveys revealed the virus persisting in communities nationwide.
Health officials are set to launch a critical vaccination campaign next week to protect thousands of children from the paralyzing disease. Polio, a contagious virus that primarily targets young children, has long challenged Pakistan.
Decades of vaccination efforts slashed annual cases from roughly 20,000 in the early 1990s to single digits by 2018. But recent years signal a troubling reversal: 14 cases have been reported as of July 2025—eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, compared to just one in 2021. Last year’s 74 cases underscored the growing threat.
Environmental sampling paints a stark picture. Of 102 samples collected across 69 districts, 30 tested positive for poliovirus, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication in Islamabad.
Sindh reported 14 positive samples out of 22, Punjab six out of 26, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa four out of 27, and Balochistan three out of 20. Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad had one and two positive samples, respectively.
To counter the spread, a five-day vaccination drive from July 14 to 18 will target over 158,000 children in high-risk areas, including Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan and Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, and Kolai-Palas districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “
We’re aiming to vaccinate 158,497 children in these districts,” a health official said. The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) is prioritizing areas with limited vaccine access and uptake. “We’re deploying focused strategies in high-risk union councils,” the NEOC said.
The effort builds on recent smaller campaigns, including one last month that reached 17,500 children in Bannu district and another planned for North Waziristan.
Pakistan’s polio program, launched in 1994, has faced persistent hurdles. Misinformation, including false claims from some clerics that vaccines are a Western plot, has fueled resistance. Security risks in regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have also hampered progress. Still, officials press forward: an August campaign in seven Balochistan districts will combine inactivated and oral polio vaccines to reach about six million children. As one of only two countries, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic, Pakistan’s struggle carries global stakes.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
