Pakistani officials are gearing up for a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting children under five, as health authorities confirm six more cases of polio, raising the total number of infected children to 39 this year.
The recent cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) include three from Balochistan, two from Sindh province, and one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Polio, an infectious disease that leads to crippling paralysis in young children, has been nearly eradicated worldwide after extensive vaccination efforts. Currently, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries where the virus remains endemic. There is no cure for polio, and the paralysis caused by the infection is irreversible.
“This should be a wake-up call for all parents and communities,” stated Ms. Ayesha Raza Farooq, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication. “Every paralytic polio case indicates that hundreds of children are silently affected by the poliovirus and could potentially be spreading it throughout their communities,” she added.
Balochistan is the most affected province this year, with 20 confirmed cases, followed by Sindh with 12. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded five cases, while Punjab and Islamabad have reported one each.
“The continuous movement of populations, security challenges in high-risk areas, and ongoing vaccine hesitancy all contribute to the virus’s persistence,” said Melissa Corkum, head of the UNICEF polio team in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, polio vaccinators have previously been provided with armed guards to protect against militants who falsely claim the vaccine is part of a conspiracy to sterilize Muslims.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed at least 18 polio cases in neighboring Afghanistan this year, most of which are in the southern regions.
Pakistan is set to launch a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on October 28, aiming to immunize more than 45 million children under five against paralytic polio.
Before this recent surge in infections, Pakistan, with a population of over 240 million, was close to eradicating the disease, recording only six cases in 2023, down from 20 in 2022 and just one in 2021.
Health authorities face significant challenges in persuading communities to vaccinate their children. Hardline clerics and militants have actively campaigned against vaccinations, promoting the false narrative that it is a Western scheme to sterilize Muslims. As a result, many communities are reluctant to seek immunization.
In recent years, polio vaccinators and their security escorts have faced violence from militants. This year alone, at least 15 people, primarily police officers, have been killed, and dozens have been injured during vaccination campaigns. “Security concerns have historically led to delayed or fragmented campaigns, resulting in missed opportunities for immunization and leaving children vulnerable,” Corkum noted.
