Pakistani health authorities initiated their fifth and final nationwide polio immunization campaign of 2024 on Monday, targeting approximately 45 million children under five years of age. This critical public health initiative comes as the country continues to battle the persistent poliovirus, with 30 confirmed cases reported since January—a significant reduction from the 74 cases documented during the same period last year.
According to the government-operated Polio Eradication Initiative, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the world’s only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission persists. The current vaccination drive represents a synchronized effort with Afghanistan to strengthen cross-border immunity and interrupt viral transmission between the two nations.
The massive operation deploys over 400,000 frontline health workers who are conducting door-to-door vaccinations across all regions including Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and the capital territory of Islamabad.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal emphasized the campaign’s critical importance, stating: ‘This transcends mere statistics. Each polio case represents a threat to a child’s future and the overall safety of our communities.’
The vaccination teams operate under substantial security concerns, with authorities deploying thousands of police officers to protect health workers following intelligence reports warning of potential militant attacks. Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and their security personnel have been killed in targeted violence fueled by misinformation campaigns falsely alleging the vaccinations are Western plots to sterilize Muslim children.
Despite these security challenges, Pakistan maintains regular immunization campaigns. Officials report significant progress in containing the virus and express optimism about the current effort, characterizing it as ‘a vital final push to stop the virus everywhere it still circulates.’