ISLAMABAD: Japan has pledged a $4.3 million grant to procure more than 28 million oral polio vaccine doses for Pakistan’s 2027 immunization campaigns, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) announced on Friday, as the country pushes to halt transmission of the virus by the end of next year.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where wild poliovirus has never been fully stopped. Reported cases have declined sharply, falling from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025, with nine recorded so far in 2026. Four of those nine cases were concentrated in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where security risks and restricted access to vaccines complicate efforts by health workers to reach the local population.
“Since 1996, Japan has been a steadfast partner in Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts, working alongside UNICEF and other collaborators. This new grant, larger than last year’s, reflects Japan’s enduring commitment to our shared objective of a polio-free Pakistan,” said Akamatsu Shuichi, Japan’s ambassador to Pakistan.
“Japan fully backs Pakistan’s determination to interrupt poliovirus transmission by the end of 2027,” he added.
The latest contribution represents an increase over the $3.5 million provided last year, which funded more than 24 million doses for the current campaign cycle. Since 1996, Japan has extended over $248 million in grants and loans to Pakistan’s polio program through UNICEF, according to the statement.
“The Government of Japan’s support arrives at a pivotal moment as Pakistan ramps up its campaign to end poliovirus transmission and eliminate this preventable disease,” said Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person on polio eradication.
“Every vaccine dose made possible by Japan’s contribution brings Pakistan closer to a polio-free future. We are deeply grateful to the Government and people of Japan for their sustained commitment and partnership in our mission to eradicate polio and safeguard every child,” she said.
Pakistan has outlined its strategy to end transmission in the National Emergency Action Plan 2026-27. Each nationwide immunization drive aims to reach more than 45 million children under the age of five, supported by over 400,000 frontline health workers, according to the program. Last week, Pakistan immunized 24 million children during a seven-day sub-national anti-polio campaign spanning 97 districts, held in coordination with a parallel effort in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s polio campaigns have long faced obstacles, including misinformation, vaccine refusals, and attacks by militant groups that falsely portray the vaccines as a Western scheme to sterilize Muslim children. In September, unidentified gunmen killed two police constables who were escorting a vaccination team in Balochistan.