ISLAMABAD: The National Task Force for Polio Eradication (NTF) on Friday reviewed Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts and preparations for the upcoming subnational vaccination campaign, which aims to protect 31 million children across 115 districts from September 21 to 27.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal chaired the meeting on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and formally inaugurated the upcoming campaign by administering polio drops to children.
The minister urged chief secretaries and provincial authorities to continue prioritising polio eradication and ensure full government support and oversight during the September campaign.
“The Prime Minister’s directives are clear: we must interrupt polio transmission so we can protect every child and every family, and that means leading from the front,” Iqbal said, urging senior officials to engage directly with communities and parents to strengthen vaccine acceptance.
He also paid tribute to frontline polio workers who continue to go door-to-door despite challenging circumstances, saying their courage and commitment remained central to Pakistan’s efforts to eradicate the disease.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq briefed the meeting on current epidemiological trends, declining virus circulation, key challenges and ongoing strategies aimed at interrupting poliovirus transmission.
She said Pakistan had made significant progress, but the current phase required sustained focus and collective action, with particular attention to ensuring that no child was missed and to strengthening surveillance, campaign quality and community engagement.
Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal urged chief secretaries to remain fully engaged and ensure high-quality implementation of the campaign, particularly in core reservoirs and high-risk areas of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“We will intensify efforts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as all areas that are sustaining circulation to keep children protected from this disease,” Kamal said.
The September 21-27 drive will be Pakistan’s fourth polio campaign of 2026. More than 273,000 frontline workers have been mobilised to go house-to-house to vaccinate children under five years of age.
Pakistan has recorded four polio cases so far in 2026, three of them from southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The area remains particularly challenging because of security-related access constraints. The latest Global Polio Eradication Initiative data also confirms continued wild poliovirus transmission in Pakistan, while independent experts have identified southern KP and the Karachi bloc among the remaining critical transmission hotspots.
Pakistan reported 31 polio cases in 2025, down from 74 in 2024. The decline followed intensified vaccination drives, targeted use of oral and injectable polio vaccines, strengthened routine immunisation activities and increased community engagement.
Despite the reduction in cases and geographical spread, continued transmission in southern KP and environmental detections in key reservoirs mean the virus remains a public health threat. Global polio experts have stressed that recent progress must be accompanied by sustained campaign quality, surveillance and access to children in high-risk areas.
The National Task Force is Pakistan’s high-level forum overseeing polio eradication efforts and brings together federal and provincial leadership, senior administrative and security officials, Polio Eradication Initiative leadership and partner organisations.
