Pakistani authorities said on Monday that more than 44.3 million children were vaccinated during the first nationwide anti-polio campaign of the year, marking a major step in the country’s ongoing effort to eradicate the paralyzing virus.
The week-long campaign, which ran from Feb. 2 to Feb. 8, targeted children under the age of five across Pakistan and was overseen by the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC). Officials said over 400,000 trained polio workers visited households door-to-door to administer oral polio vaccine drops.
“More than 44.3 million children were administered polio vaccine drops during the campaign,” the NEOC said in an official statement, adding that thousands of children in all provinces received the vaccine. Provinces that recorded significant vaccination numbers included Punjab (22.9 million), Sindh (10.5 million), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (7.13 million) and Balochistan (2.36 million). Smaller figures were reported in federal and northern regions, including Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials said the campaign was conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan, the only two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic, underscoring the need for coordinated regional efforts to interrupt transmission.
While the campaign achieved high coverage, local media reported that around one million children were missed due to factors including household absenteeism, refusals and security challenges in some districts, particularly in urban centres such as Karachi. Officials said mop-up activities will continue for missed children.
Pakistan recorded 31 confirmed wild poliovirus cases in 2025, a marked decline from the 74 cases reported in 2024, health experts say, reflecting sustained immunization efforts and enhanced surveillance.
However, health authorities acknowledge remaining challenges, including vaccine hesitancy, refusals in certain areas and security constraints in high-risk districts. Public health partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and Rotary International have reinforced support through funding and operational assistance to reach vulnerable children.
Pakistan has been conducting routine and supplementary polio vaccination campaigns for decades as part of the global effort to eliminate the disease, which has no cure and can cause permanent paralysis. Sustained immunization campaigns are considered critical to achieving the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s goal of ending poliovirus transmission worldwide.