Islamabad – Pakistan has recorded a major decrease in children affected by the wild poliovirus in a landmark success in the field of public health.
The government-run National Emergency Operations Centre reported a lower number of cases recorded in the country in 2025 than in the previous year.
This advancement in the polio eradication campaign is an indication that the country is gaining ground toward the end of the spread of the disease, despite the health workers still operating in hazardous conditions in the field.
Progress Amidst Adversity
According to Anwarul Haq, the organizer of the program, authorities had documented 30 cases in 2025, which is a significant decline compared to the 74 cases recorded last year.
This achievement has been greatly credited to an enormous polio eradication campaign that was conducted on 45 million children in the last countrywide effort of the year.
Although Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where the virus is still endemic, the fact that there have been no new infections since September gives some hope that the decades-long battle is reaching the final stage.
Security Challenges for Health Heroes
The path towards a polio-free world has not been without its price. Police officers who accompany the vaccinators have been targeted by militants on several occasions, especially in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Such militants usually propagate misinformation that the polio eradication campaign is a foreign conspiracy.
Despite these dangers that have taken the lives of over 200 people since the 1990s, in the latest drive, over 98% of the target population was reached, and it is unbelievable how the health workers have stood their ground.
Health officials stress that the job is not yet complete. It is vital to continue the momentum to avert backslides in the hard-to-access sites where the virus may still be present.
The initial polio eradication campaign of 2026 is planned to start at the beginning of February.
Also See: Security Guard and Civilian Killed in Attack on Polio Team in Bajaur
