On Monday, Pakistan launched its third nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2025, aiming to immunize over 45 million children under the age of five. This ambitious effort is part of the country’s intensified drive to eliminate the virus once and for all.
Polio, a highly infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis, has no cure. The only effective defense is prevention—through multiple doses of oral polio vaccine and ensuring every child completes the full immunization schedule.
So far this year, 10 polio cases have been confirmed in Pakistan. Alarmingly, environmental surveillance has identified poliovirus in 272 sewage samples from 127 testing sites spread across 68 districts, highlighting the virus’s persistent circulation.
The campaign was inaugurated at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) in Islamabad by Health Minister Mustafa Kamal. He emphasized the crucial role of community participation in eradicating polio and appealed to parents nationwide to ensure their children are vaccinated.
“Protect your children from a lifetime of disability—get them vaccinated,” Kamal urged. He hailed frontline health workers as “real heroes” of the campaign and stressed that strong community involvement is the backbone of any successful public health initiative.
Pakistan, alongside neighboring Afghanistan, remains one of only two countries where polio is still endemic.
Describing the weeklong vaccination effort as a “critical intervention,” the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program called it the country’s “final push” toward halting virus transmission and achieving complete eradication by the end of 2025.
Nearly 400,000 frontline health workers—including 225,000 women—are participating in the campaign. These dedicated teams will go door-to-door to reach every eligible child.
Since the program’s inception in 1994, efforts to eliminate polio have faced setbacks due to misinformation and distrust. Misguided beliefs, including conspiracy theories about sterilization or espionage, have fueled resistance in some communities. Additionally, polio teams and their security escorts have frequently been targeted in violent attacks by militant groups.
Despite these challenges, Pakistan continues to push forward in its fight against polio—determined to protect future generations from this preventable disease.
