Pakistan launches a comprehensive nationwide polio vaccination campaign amid significant progress this year, aiming to eradicate the virus by targeting high-risk regions with intense immunisation efforts and international support.
Pakistan has launched a new nationwide polio vaccination drive as officials say the country has made measurable progress against the virus, with reported cases falling sharply this year and environmental surveillance showing a drop in the share of positive samples to below 10 per cent. At a meeting of the prime minister’s committee on polio eradication, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said the campaign formed part of a national effort to stop transmission completely and protect children from lifelong paralysis.
The latest push comes after a series of large-scale immunisation rounds in 2026. According to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative, April’s second nationwide campaign reached more than 44.8 million children across the country, while an earlier February drive aimed to protect about 45 million children under five. Health authorities said those exercises were carried out with the help of more than 400,000 frontline workers, many of them going door to door in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials have also intensified smaller targeted operations in areas judged to be most at risk. In May, the government launched a sub-national campaign in 79 high-risk districts to vaccinate about 19 million children, and a further round is planned for high-risk areas later in the year. The focus on southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains especially important: of the four polio cases reported in 2026, three were in that region, underlining the persistence of transmission in a limited number of hotspots.
The government says the fight against polio is being backed by coordination with Afghanistan and by support from international partners including the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, Rotary and the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee. At Friday’s meeting, attended by health minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq, Iqbal described eradication as a matter of national responsibility tied to the health and future of Pakistan’s children.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
