The World Health Organization (WHO) praised Pakistan on Thursday for reducing polio cases by over 99% since 1994, confirming its commitment to helping the country end the final extermination phase.
Despite significant progress, the disease has seen a resurgence in some of Pakistan’s most unstable regions, and challenges remain in the fight against polio.
WHO, who recognized Pakistan’s efforts, emphasized that it would continue to support the country in “running the last mile” to end the paralyzing disease.
This message was delivered under Islamabad’s hosting of the technical advisory group for polio -depletion, a key forum that brings together global experts to strategize to eliminate the global poliotus threat.
Since the 1990s, when Pakistan reported about 20,000 cases annually, the country has made remarkable progress in polio extinction.
In 2018, the number of cases had fallen to only eight, and only six cases were registered in 2023. WHO rowed this progress and noted that Pakistan has reduced polio cases by more than 99% since 1994.
However, recent setbacks occurred with 73 reported cases in 2022, a sharp increase from only one case in 2021. The latest case was reported last Wednesday from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a province of northwestern Pakistan.
Pakistan, together with neighboring Afghanistan, is still one of the last two polio-endemical countries globally.
The resurgence of polio in certain regions, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, is worsened by challenges, including militant attacks on health workers and wrong information spread by religious hard liners.
WHO Regional Director of East Mediterranean Hanan Balkhy warned that the extermination efforts of both Afghanistan and Pakistan faced serious threats, especially because of the suspension of foreign aid from the United States under former President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, WHO’s Deputy Director Dr. Mike Ryan is also concerned about a $ 68 million financing gap for polio expulsion work in Pakistan, which could bring the progress that have been made. “Reasoning funding is required to ensure that hard -fought gains are not lost,” Dr. Ryan in a video posted on X.
Despite these challenges, Pakistan’s obligation to polio -extinction remains steadfast.
The Pakistan Polio expulsion program is set to launch its first nationwide vaccination drive of 2025 from February 3 to 9 with the aim of immunizing millions of children and bringing the country closer to achieving a poliofri future.
