- The government is launching a nationwide anti-polio campaign.
- 45 million children targeted for vaccination against poliovirus.
- Pakistan reported one case of wild poliovirus this year.
A policeman deployed to protect an anti-polio team was martyred and four others were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu on Monday.
Hangu SDPO Mujahid Hussain said the attack targeted a police van carrying a five-man team assigned to provide security to a polio vaccination team in Chapri Waziran area. All the policemen sustained gunshot wounds in the shooting, but one of them later succumbed to his injuries, he revealed.
The remaining injured personnel were shifted to a medical facility, the SDPO added.
Pakistan Polio Program officially started its second National Immunization Days (NIDs) campaign in 2026 today to make Pakistan a polio-free nation.
The five-day nationwide campaign aims to immunize over 45 million children under the age of five. This effort is seen as a crucial step in the country’s final push to stop poliovirus transmission and achieve eradication by the end of 2025.
NEOC confirmed the first wild polio case of 2026 in a four-year-old child from Bello Union Council, Sujawal District, Sindh, last month.
The case was reported through the Polio Surveillance Network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.
In Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan — the only countries where polio remains endemic — militants have for decades targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts.
Over the past decade, hundreds of police officers and health workers have been killed by militants.
Polio, a highly contagious virus that mainly affects children under the age of five, can result in lifelong paralysis but is easily prevented by oral administration of a few drops of a vaccine.
The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is already analyzing the best response to tackle and prevent further transmission.
Despite challenges, eradicating the global public threat of polio in Pakistan and worldwide is within reach, and PEI continues to intensify its efforts to leave no child behind. Since 1994, thanks to polio vaccines, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8% – from an estimated 20,000 cases in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025.
By 2025, Pakistan’s PEI conducted five nationwide campaigns, in addition to targeted rounds of oral and injectable polio vaccination and integrated activities with the National Routine Immunization Program.
While the overall trend shows a decline in poliovirus detection compared to 2024, reflecting the impact of high-quality vaccination campaigns conducted in 2025, virus circulation continues in certain high-risk areas, including the districts of Sindh and southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
These findings underscore the continued need for robust, targeted efforts to interrupt transmission and consistent vaccination of children.
Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and death. However, the disease is preventable thanks to polio vaccines, which are safe and effective and have been safely used in 195 countries, including all Muslim countries.
Polio eradication is a collective responsibility. While Pakistan’s dedicated frontline workers ensure vaccines reach all children, parents and caregivers play a critical role in ensuring their children receive all recommended doses, including routine vaccinations.
PEI urges all parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are vaccinated during each campaign to protect them from lifelong disability and/or death.
Communities, religious leaders and the media also play a critical role in promoting vaccination, countering misinformation and ensuring that all children in Pakistan are protected. Together, we can achieve a polio-free future for all children, in Pakistan and worldwide.
