Global health leaders praised Pakistan’s progress against polio, warning that the next six months will be crucial to eliminating the disease from one of the world’s last endemic countries.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has received renewed international backing for its polio eradication campaign after a high-level delegation of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) Polio Oversight Board visited Islamabad, describing the coming six months as critical in the global effort to eliminate the disease.
During meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and senior government officials, the delegation commended Pakistan’s strengthened oversight, improved vaccination campaigns and continued political commitment to ending polio.
Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8% since the early 1990s, when an estimated 20,000 children were affected annually. The country recorded 31 cases in 2025, while only three cases have been confirmed so far in 2026. Health officials said the remaining virus transmission is now largely confined to southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed that polio eradication remains a national priority and directed authorities to intensify targeted strategies in high-risk areas. Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said investments in the polio programme are also strengthening routine immunization and protecting children against other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq credited frontline health workers, security personnel, surveillance systems and high-quality vaccination campaigns for the country’s progress, while warning against complacency.
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