The National Emergency Operations Centre has mobilised over 400,000 frontline polio workers who are going door-to-door across Pakistan’s provinces and regions to ensure widespread coverage.
Pakistan launched its year’s last nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday, aiming to immunise about 45 million children under five years of age against the crippling virus that persists in the country despite decades of eradication efforts. The week-long drive, running from December 15 to December 21, marks another critical step in the government’s fight to end polio amid a recent surge in confirmed cases and ongoing security challenges.
Campaign Intensifies After Surge in Polio Cases
Health officials said Pakistan has recorded 30 polio cases in 2025, a decrease from 74 cases during the same period last year, underscoring both progress and the volatility of the disease’s spread. Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world – alongside neighbouring Afghanistan – where wild poliovirus remains endemic, posing a continued threat to child health and global eradication efforts.
Frontline health authorities stress that repeated vaccination campaigns are vital to keep the virus at bay, particularly in regions where access has historically been limited. Independent public health experts warn that any lapse in immunisation coverage can allow the virus to resurge, particularly in densely populated and hard-to-reach areas.
Mass Mobilisation and Security Measures Deployed
The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has mobilised over 400,000 frontline polio workers who are going door-to-door across Pakistan’s provinces and regions to ensure widespread coverage. Roughly 23.3 million children in Punjab alone will be targeted, followed by 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.3 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2.66 million in Balochistan. Smaller populations in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir complete the national target.
Pakistan’s programme remains fraught with security risks, as polio workers and their police escorts have been repeatedly targeted by militants over the years. Extremist groups have falsely propagated conspiracy theories about vaccination drives, undermining public trust and endangering health workers. Authorities have responded by deploying thousands of police officers to accompany immunisation teams in vulnerable districts.
Community Leaders Urge Public Cooperation
Public figures and community leaders have stepped up calls for cooperation to maximise the campaign’s impact. First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari appealed to parents, caregivers and civic representatives to ensure that every eligible child receives their polio drops during this campaign. She framed the effort as a collective responsibility that requires full participation from families and communities across the country.
Officials have also emphasised the importance of routine immunisation beyond supplementary campaigns, urging caregivers to keep up with scheduled vaccines for children from birth to 15 months of age. This is critical, they say, to strengthen overall immunity and safeguard long-term child health.
In major urban centres like Karachi, Sindh’s Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah inaugurated the polio campaign by personally administering vaccine drops to children, and called on parents and influencers to support the drive. Citing years of struggle against the disease, he noted that Pakistan’s polio fight is not just a public health mission but a shared national cause.
Regional Coordination to Stop Cross-Border Transmission
This final campaign is part of a broader synchronised effort with Afghanistan, where immunisation activities are also underway. Health officials highlighted that simultaneous vaccination drives on both sides of the border are crucial to interrupting transmission routes that would otherwise enable the virus to circulate between communities in the two countries.
Despite the obstacles, Pakistan has shown significant reductions in reported polio cases in recent years, though sporadic outbreaks serve as stark reminders of how tenuous progress can be. Public health authorities remain hopeful that sustained, concerted immunisation drives – combined with vigilant surveillance and community engagement – will bring the country closer to a polio-free future.
Image: UNICEF Pakistan
