Key points
- Polio cases rise sharply in 2024
- Campaign covers 99 districts nationwide
- Misinformation, violence hinder vaccination efforts
- Floods delay drive in nine districts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities stated on Saturday that they have vaccinated over 19 million children in an ongoing anti-polio campaign, which is part of a nationwide effort to eradicate the debilitating disease.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable virus that can cause permanent paralysis. It can only be prevented through repeated oral vaccinations and routine immunisation. In 2024, Pakistan recorded 74 cases— a significant increase from six in 2023 and just one in 2021— highlighting the ongoing challenge of eradication, according to Arab News.
Despite this, the country has achieved considerable progress since the 1990s, when annual cases exceeded 20,000, bringing the number down to just eight by 2018.
National role
“All segments of society must play their national role in eliminating polio,” said the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in a statement. “Welcome polio teams and ensure that every child under five is given drops in every campaign to protect them from the disease.”
The NEOC added that more than 19.2 million children have so far received polio drops in the campaign, which began on 1st September across 99 districts.
The regional breakdown includes approximately 4 million in Punjab, nearly 8.4 million in Sindh, 3.96 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 2.16 million in Balochistan.
Parental refusals
In the capital, Islamabad, over 442,000 children were vaccinated. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the number stood at 112,000, while in Azad Jammu and Kashmir it reached 164,000.
Efforts to eliminate polio have faced setbacks due to parental refusals, widespread misinformation, and repeated attacks on polio workers by militant groups. In remote and unstable regions, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, although security personnel have also been targeted during these campaigns.
The NEOC noted that seasonal flooding has further complicated the campaign, leading to the postponement of vaccination efforts in nine districts of Punjab.
It also confirmed that the vaccination drive in Bajaur and Upper Dir, both located in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is scheduled to commence on 15th September.
