A nationwide anti-polio campaign is set to kick off on Monday, aiming to immunize over 45 million children under the age of five across Pakistan.
The campaign, which will run for varying durations in different regions, was officially launched in Islamabad by the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq. At the inauguration, she emphasized that eliminating polio remains a shared national responsibility and a matter of deep commitment.
Farooq expressed heartfelt appreciation for the 400,000 frontline health workers involved in this critical effort, including 225,000 female vaccinators who are playing a key role in reaching children across the country.
This renewed push comes amid rising concern over new polio cases. Two recent detections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts have increased Pakistan’s 2025 tally to 10 confirmed cases. Of these, five are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one from Punjab, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Health.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has voiced serious concern about the increasing number of cases in Sindh and has directed officials to provide a detailed report on families who are refusing polio vaccinations for their children.
The campaign underscores Pakistan’s renewed urgency to eradicate polio once and for all, amid persistent challenges in high-risk regions.
