During four nationwide anti polio campaigns this year, more than 45 million children were administered polio drops.
While the world has successfully eradicated polio, unfortunately, Pakistan remains one of the two countries where the poliovirus still exists. This year, 30 children in 15 districts of Pakistan have been affected by the disease. In addition to vaccination drives, combating negative propaganda has also become essential to defeat the poliovirus. Efforts to eradicate polio continue across the country.
Despite extensive efforts and four national anti-polio campaigns this year, which reached over 45 million children, 19 cases have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan.
According to the focal person of the Anti-Polio Program, Ayesha Raza, around 400,000 polio workers are performing their duties across the country. Officials said that population displacement and damage to sanitation systems caused by recent floods have increased the risk of the poliovirus spreading. In comparison, 74 cases were reported in 2024, 6 in 2023, 20 in 2022, and one in 2021.
