Pakistan begins 2nd anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2025

Pakistan began on Monday a week-long second nationwide vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 45 million children from polio, officials said.

According to the World Health Organisation, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the potentially fatal, paralysing virus hasn’t been stopped,

Since January, Pakistan has reported only six polio cases. Last year, the South Asian country witnessed a surge in polio cases, which jumped to 74, though it reported only one polio case in 2021.

Federal Health Minister, Mustafa Kamal, has urged parents to cooperate with the medical staff, who visit door-to-door to vaccinate children.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eradicating polio from the country and announced the launch of a fresh 7-day national anti-polio campaign for millions of children under age five.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the campaign in Islamabad, the prime minister said the government, along with the health authorities, was making tireless efforts to eliminate the virus once and for all.

“Today marks the beginning of another nationwide polio campaign. With Allah’s grace, we are vaccinating children not only here, but also across the country including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir,” he said.

He personally administered polio drops to children to formally kick off the campaign, which will conclude on April 27. “I urge all parents to fully cooperate with the field teams to ensure every child is vaccinated,” he added.

Acknowledging the challenges in some security-sensitive areas, he said robust measures had been taken to ensure the safety of teams and smooth implementation of the drive. “We must mobilise communities in every neighborhood and street to support this national cause,” he emphasised.

The premier also extended heartfelt thanks to international partners such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), Bill Gates, and other stakeholders for their continued support.

“With your cooperation and our collective resolve, I am confident we will achieve permanent relief from this dangerous disease,” he said.

Health workers are often attacked by militants who falsely claim that vaccination efforts are part of a Western plot to sterilise Muslim children.

A police constable was martyred and a militant killed during an exchange of fire on Monday in South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Monday.

According to police, the incident occurred while the constable was on duty as part of the security arrangements for the ongoing nationwide anti-polio campaign.

Unidentified assailants opened fire on the security team, prompting a retaliatory response in which one attacker was killed.

Authorities recovered several weapons and items from the deceased militant, including a rocket launcher, a machine gun, two motorcycles, a national identity card, three ATM cards, and a smartphone.

Separately, police killed a militant when he opened fire on officers assigned to protect health workers on the polio drive in Azam Warsak, according to local police chief, Alamgir Mahsud. He said all the officers were unharmed.

Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and the police assigned to protect them have been killed in attacks.

In a separate development, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that Afghanistan is surpassing Pakistan in efforts to eradicate polio, warning that it might achieve this goal first.

Speaking at the 6th International Medical Research Conference organised by the Health Research Advisory Board at the Gates Pharma Auditorium in Karachi, Kamal expressed his hope that both countries could eliminate polio simultaneously.

Kamal announced that each citizen’s national identity card number will soon serve as their medical record number to improve healthcare management. He pledged to ensure the implementation of research and reports from the Health Research Advisory Board.

Kamal directed the relevant authorities to ensure awareness and community mobilisation regarding the anti-polio campaign across the country.

Tariq Butt / Agencies