ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will conduct its first nationwide anti-polio drive of the new year from Feb. 2, the National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC) said on Wednesday, vowing to vaccinate over 45 million children against the disease.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries where transmission of the wild poliovirus has never been interrupted, posing a risk to global eradication efforts. The virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis, has no cure and can only be prevented through repeated oral vaccination.
The NEOC said it conducted six nationwide campaigns against poliovirus last year, adding that they resulted in a “significant” reduction in cases from 74 in 2024 to 30 in 2025.
“The first national polio campaign of 2026 will be conducted across the country from Feb. 2,” the NEOC said in a statement.
“During the campaign, over 45 million children will be administered polio drops.”
The NEOC said involvement of communities, religious leaders and the media has increased the public’s confidence in the government’s polio program.
“Strong government leadership and effective institutional collaboration continue to play a key role in polio eradication,” it said.
The authority urged parents to cooperate with polio teams and ensure their children receive polio drops.
Health officials say insecurity remains a major obstacle. Polio workers and their security escorts have repeatedly been targeted in militant attacks, particularly in parts of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces, complicating efforts to reach every child.
A gun attack targeting a polio vaccination team in Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur district last month left one police constable and a civilian dead.
Natural disasters, including flooding, have also disrupted vaccination campaigns in recent years.
