A nationwide anti-polio campaign will kick off across Pakistan on October 13, 2025, with the aim of administering oral polio vaccine drops to over 45 million children under the age of five.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq and National Coordinator for Polio Eradication Captain (R) Anwarul Haq, along with health experts, reaffirmed that a polio-free Pakistan remains a top national priority.
They highlighted that since October 2024, there has been a significant decline in polio cases — a result of improved planning, effective accountability, and community engagement. Trained polio workers, supported by security personnel, are going door to door even in remote areas — and were hailed as the true heroes of the campaign.
It was further shared that six successful anti-polio drives have been conducted between September 2024 and now.
In this upcoming campaign, more than 400,000 frontline polio workers, including over 225,000 female vaccinators, will go house-to-house across the country. In addition to polio drops, Vitamin A supplements will be provided to boost children’s immunity and protect them from other preventable diseases.
Ayesha Raza Farooq emphasized that the success of the campaign is not the government’s responsibility alone, but a collective national duty, as it concerns the health and future of Pakistan’s children. She appealed to all parents to ensure every child receives polio drops.
She reiterated the Government of Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to eradicating polio and noted that the number of children who missed vaccination in October 2024 (over 1.1 million) had dropped to around 830,000 by May 2025.
Thanking the media for its continued support, she stressed the importance of coordinated planning and joint action to fill immunity gaps — especially in high-risk areas like Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi, where environmental samples still detect the presence of poliovirus.
Parents were urged to welcome vaccination teams, as “just two drops of the polio vaccine can protect your child from lifelong disability.”
National Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), Muhammad Anwarul Haq, also reaffirmed strong government support for the campaign. He emphasized the need for consistent communication, efficient monitoring, and high-quality implementation in high-risk zones.
Ms. Farooq revealed that in 2025 so far, polio presence has been confirmed in 81 out of 87 districts (93%) — including 18 cases in KP, 9 in Sindh, 1 in Punjab, and 1 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
She praised the dedication of health workers and security personnel, calling them the “foot soldiers” of this mission. She also stressed the need for continued reduction in missed children, strengthened monitoring, and better integration of the polio program with the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).
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