Pakistan has successfully wrapped up its final nationwide anti-polio campaign of 2025, vaccinating more than 44.6 million children across the country, ARY News reported on Monday, citing the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
The week-long campaign was conducted from December 15 to 21 and covered all provinces and regions.
Provincial vaccination breakdown
- Punjab: Around 22.9 million children vaccinated
- Sindh: Approximately 10.6 million children received anti-polio drops
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Over 7.157 million children vaccinated
- Balochistan: More than 2.583 million children covered
In addition:
- Islamabad: Over 450,000 children vaccinated
- Gilgit-Baltistan: Around 274,000 children vaccinated
- Azad Jammu and Kashmir: More than 714,000 children received the vaccine
Appreciation for polio workers
The National EOC thanked parents, civil administration officials, law enforcement agencies, and frontline polio workers for their cooperation and dedication. It described polio workers and security personnel involved in the campaign as the “real heroes of the nation.”
Security challenges
Despite the campaign’s success, it faced serious security threats. Two people, including a police officer assigned to protect polio workers, were martyred last week in a firing incident in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to local police, unknown armed men opened fire on an anti-polio team in the Salar Zotangi area, underscoring the risks faced by frontline workers.
Earlier campaign fell short
The December drive followed concerns raised after the October nationwide anti-polio campaign, which reportedly failed to meet its targets.
That campaign, held from October 13 to 19, aimed to vaccinate more than 45 million children, but over 1.09 million children were missed. Of these:
- 721,296 children were unavailable during visits
- 53,621 cases involved vaccine refusal
