Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic countries in the world. WHO, with UNICEF and other key partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, supports the Government of Pakistan in polio eradication efforts to ensure that Pakistan achieves polio-free status.
Child receives polio drops at Expanded Programme on Immunization centre in Lahore
Polio is a crippling disease and has no cure, but there is a safe and effective vaccine. The strategy to eradicate polio is therefore based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops. In Pakistan, the programme vaccinates over 40 million children during each national immunization day campaign through more than 285 000 frontline workers and targets specific high-risk areas with subnational immunization in areas where special focus is required to interrupt polio circulation.
Starting from late 2018, Pakistan saw a resurgence of cases and increased spread of polio highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding 3 years. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic posed new challenges requiring the programme to swiftly and continuously adjust polio campaign operational modalities to ensure the safety of frontline workers and the community. The programme is focussed on high-risk areas i.e. core reservoirs, Central Pakistan and south Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is continuously re-defining its geographic focus to ensure interruption of polio transmission.
Over the past 2 years, Pakistan has been able to decrease the number of reported cases from 147 in 2019 to 84 in 2020. The cases are further reducing in 2021.
If you’d like more information about Pakistan’s journey to eradication, please visit the Global Eradication Initiative website.
Related link
Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme
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