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ISLAMABAD: Rigorous vaccination drives across Pakistan this year have cut polio cases by more than half compared to 2024, officials said. Reported polio cases declined from 74 in 2024 to 30 in 2025, with the most recent case reported in October this year. National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Coordinator Farhan Shah said sustained and aggressive anti-polio efforts have significantly reduced the number of reported cases. &ldquo;This year&rsquo;s rigorous polio campaigns have shown clear positive results, reducing the number of cases by over 50% compared to last year,&rdquo; he told Pakistan TV Digital. The year&rsquo;s fifth and final nationwide campaign will be launched from Dec. 15 to 21. It aims to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five across the country. As per official data, over 23 million children will be vaccinated in Punjab, more than 10.6 million in Sindh, around 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and over 2.6 million in Balochistan. In Islamabad, approximately 460,000 children will receive polio drops, while more than 228,000 children in Gilgit-Baltistan and over 760,000 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir will be covered. More than 400,000 male and female polio workers will participate in the campaign, conducting door-to-door visits and staffing vaccination points to ensure children receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine. The national operations center stressed that protecting children from polio is a shared national responsibility. It urged parents to fully cooperate with vaccination teams to help secure a polio-free future for Pakistan. Parents have been advised to ensure that all children under the age of five are vaccinated during the campaign.

Health

The seven-day campaign is the fifth and last national anti-polio drive of 2025 and aims to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five across the country.

Polio cases in Pakistan more than halve in 2025 as final nationwide drive begins

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. &nbsp; Citing challenges in fighting polio,&nbsp;PM Sharif said polio workers&#39; 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&#39;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&rsquo;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.&nbsp; Pakistan&rsquo;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&rsquo;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.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/fd195175-430b-4c45-833c-be4d68d42e04.png" style="width: 646px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">&nbsp;Sources:<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 2;">CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Reports and surveillance updates on polio cases and eradication efforts in Pakistan and globally.</li><li style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 2;">WHO (World Health Organization) - Annual updates and situation reports from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and other relevant health reports.</li><li style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 2;">National Institute of Health (NIH), Pakistan - National surveillance data on polio cases, including regional breakdowns and vaccination coverage.</li><li style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 2;">Polio Eradication Programme, Pakistan - Official program reports and statistics on polio cases and immunization campaigns within Pakistan.</li></ol> Pakistan&rsquo;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:<ul><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Door-to-door campaigns vaccinating over 45 million children under five</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Building community trust by involving parents, caregivers and leaders and tackling misinformation</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Closing operational gaps and improving campaign quality, including relapse prevention</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strengthening surveillance to detect and respond quickly to outbreak </li></ul>These steps reflect Pakistan&rsquo;s resolve to eradicate polio by end of 2025.

Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif presents awards to polio workers for the recognition of their services in the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, on World Polio Day in Islamabad on 24 October 2025. (PMO)

Pakistan’s plan for 2025 focuses on a final push to reach every child and target remaining virus pockets. 

Articles tagged with "polio in pakistan"

Polio cases in Pakistan more than halve in 2025 as final nationwide drive begins

Pakistan leads fight against polio with stronger vaccination efforts in 2025