ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has administered polio vaccines to more than 27.7 million children during an ongoing sub-national immunization drive, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) for Polio Eradication announced Saturday, marking a significant milestone in the country’s intensified campaign to eliminate the virus.
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious, incurable disease capable of causing permanent paralysis and death. While no cure exists, it is entirely preventable through safe, effective vaccines. To date this year, Pakistan has recorded four cases of wild poliovirus type 1 — three in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in Sindh.
Launched on September 21 across 115 districts, the current campaign aims to reach approximately 31 million children. Preliminary figures show over 7.8 million children vaccinated in Punjab, 9.8 million in Sindh, 7.1 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2.2 million in Balochistan, 443,000 in Islamabad, and 140,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
“Polio is incurable, but prevention is possible through vaccination,” the NEOC stated. “Polio workers are visiting your doorstep with a message of hope; please cooperate with them.”
More than 273,000 frontline workers are conducting the door-to-door drive, which runs through September 27.
Pakistan has mounted repeated nationwide and targeted vaccination rounds in its push to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission. Three national campaigns earlier this year targeted over 45 million children under five.
Progress, however, has been hindered by persistent misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, and violent attacks by militant groups who falsely allege the vaccine is a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children. This week, unidentified gunmen shot dead two police constables assigned to protect a vaccination team in Balochistan, according to police. No group has claimed responsibility.
Government data indicates Pakistan has slashed polio cases by 99.8 percent — from an estimated 20,000 annually in the early 1990s to 31 cases last year.