Polio eradication review meeting says not a single case reported since Feb 10

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday was informed that not a single case of polio had been reported in the country since February 10 due to the dedicated efforts of the nationwide anti-polio campaigns.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic, with the disease mostly affecting children under five, and sometimes causing lifelong paralysis. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress.

The country recorded a total of 74 cases in 2024. Of these, 27 were found in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad. This year’s first nationwide polio vaccination campaign was held in Feb, followed by a fractional IPV-OPV Polio (injectable polio vaccine) campaign in Quetta and Karachi on Feb 20 and 22, respectively. Around 1 million children were targeted for vaccination in this campaign, according to the officials.

Chairing the review meeting on Polio eradication in Islamabad today, the prime minister was told that as a result of the dedicated nationwide anti-polio campaigns, not a single case of polio had been reported in the country since February 10.

According to The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the premier commended the efforts of relevant government institutions, international organisations, and partners to make Pakistan polio-free. He directed the relevant authorities to ensure awareness and community mobilisation regarding the anti-polio campaign across the country.

“It must be ensured that every child under five years of age is administered the polio vaccine during the anti-polio campaign starting from April 21,” he said.

He emphasised that alongside the campaign, nationwide routine immunisation for protection against other dangerous diseases should also be fully ensured.

“Despite challenging conditions, the workers participating in the anti-polio campaign are playing a frontline role in the fight against this disease,” the prime minister said, adding that the entire nation, including himself, was proud of the hardworking polio workers.

The premier was briefed about the upcoming anti-polio campaign from April 21 to April 27, during which 4.5m children will be given the polio vaccine.

A total of 415,000 polio workers would participate in this nationwide campaign.

The meeting was informed that, as per the prime minister’s instructions, third-party validation of the campaign would be completed from April 28 to April 30.

Moreover, the cold chain tracking of the anti-polio campaigns was being monitored under a digital system.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, chief secretaries of all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, representatives of international partners, and other senior relevant officials.

Separately, the Sindh government, in a statement, said that it was launching a province-wide polio vaccination campaign from April 21 to 27, aiming to vaccinate more than 10.6m children under the age of five against the virus.

According to a statement issued by the Sindh Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), in Karachi alone, over 2.76m children would be targeted during the campaign.

To ensure every eligible child was provided with the vaccine, approximately 69,724 trained polio workers would go door-to-door, as well as visit schools, shopping malls, and transit points across the province. Out of these, over 20,000 would be deployed in Karachi.

A comprehensive security plan was in place, with 24,552 security personnel deployed to protect polio workers and support teams during the week-long campaign, of which 5,669 would be in Karachi.

“Each dose of the polio vaccine is critical to building a child’s protection against this crippling disease. Parents must cooperate fully with vaccinators during the campaign and ensure every child receives the vaccine, every time,” APP said, quoting Irshad Ali Sodhar, EOC’s provincial coordinator.

Sindh EOC mobilised district administrations, religious leaders, medical associations, and media organisations to help promote vaccination awareness and counter misinformation.

Citizens were urged to fully cooperate with polio teams and encourage their families and communities to ensure that no child is left unvaccinated.

If any child under the age of five has missed their polio drops, call the helpline 1166 or WhatsApp at 0346-7776546, the statement said.

Presiding over a meeting of the Provincial Task Force for Polio Eradication, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the province reported four polio cases in 2025, compared to 23 in 2024 and 2 in 2023, emphasising the need for enhanced oversight and coordination across all districts in preparation for the upcoming vaccination campaign.

“Our efforts this year must be focused on ensuring that every child receives the polio vaccine,” he said.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho informed the chief minister that the province reported four cases of polio in 2025.

The CM stressed the importance of district-level leadership in reaching every child and overcoming parental hesitancy through respectful, data-driven engagement.

“Every refusal must be seen as an opportunity to educate and build trust,” he stated. “Deputy Commissioners must lead from the front and ensure daily supervision in the field.”

Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad, and Mirpurkhas divisions have also had polio virus-positive environmental surveillance results. Therefore, parents must ensure their children are vaccinated properly and regularly to protect them from polio, the CM said.

Dr Pechuho highlighted the need for sustained follow-up in communities affected by misinformation or vaccine fatigue.

“We must strengthen the role of supervisors and ensure two to three visits to every household where vaccination was initially refused,” she said. “We must also continue integrating nutrition and routine immunisation with polio campaigns.”

The chief minister concluded by urging all officials and elected representatives to support the polio teams during the campaign.

“The virus is still present, but so is our resolve. We owe it to every child to make this campaign count,” he stated. “Let Sindh lead the way toward a polio-free Pakistan.”

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