Pakistan leads fight against polio with stronger vaccination efforts in 2025

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the country was closer than ever to a polio-free Pakistan.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark World Polio Eradication Day here on Friday, the PM thanked the polio workers for their hard work and initiatives against the disease.  

Citing challenges in fighting polio, PM Sharif said polio workers' courage and dedication were commendable. He also thanked international partners, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Bill Gates Foundation, and Saudi Arabia, for their help in Pakistan's fight against the poliovirus.

Shields were distributed to outstanding polio workers from across Pakistan, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Meanwhile, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said her late mother, Benazir Bhutto, had launched Pakistan’s first nationwide polio campaign in 1994.

She paid tribute to health workers and female vaccinators working in difficult areas and called on communities to continue supporting vaccination campaigns. 

Pakistan’s fight against polio
Four polio campaigns have been launched this year alone, with over 45 million children targeted, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, a private-public partnership, reported on October 13, 2025.

A new case of wild poliovirus was confirmed this month in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by Pakistan’s Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad. This brings the total number of cases in 2025 to 30.

Wild poliovirus cases in Pakistan have fluctuated since 2005, with significant decreases in some years, though the virus remains endemic.  

 Sources:

1. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Reports and surveillance updates on polio cases and eradication efforts in Pakistan and globally.
2. WHO (World Health Organization) - Annual updates and situation reports from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and other relevant health reports.
3. National Institute of Health (NIH), Pakistan - National surveillance data on polio cases, including regional breakdowns and vaccination coverage.
4. Polio Eradication Programme, Pakistan - Official program reports and statistics on polio cases and immunization campaigns within Pakistan.

Pakistan’s plan for 2025 focuses on a final push to reach every child and target remaining virus pockets. The strategy includes intensified vaccination campaigns, better operations, and stronger community engagement.

The third phase of the program involves:

• Door-to-door campaigns vaccinating over 45 million children under five
• Building community trust by involving parents, caregivers and leaders and tackling misinformation
• Closing operational gaps and improving campaign quality, including relapse prevention
• Strengthening surveillance to detect and respond quickly to outbreak
  
  

These steps reflect Pakistan’s resolve to eradicate polio by end of 2025.