Pakistan has initiated its last nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year, aiming to immunize 45 million children as the country grapples with a surge in new cases. Officials confirmed the drive, which started on Monday, will continue until December 22.
Pakistan reported 63 confirmed polio cases this year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Along with neighboring Afghanistan, it remains one of the last two countries where the paralyzing virus persists.
Despite the urgency, vaccination efforts in Pakistan continue to face significant challenges, including violence. Militants have long spread misinformation that vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Authorities have deployed thousands of police officers to protect health workers following intelligence reports of potential attacks.
On the campaign’s first day, gunmen targeted a police escort in Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The ambush killed a police officer and wounded a health worker, according to local police official Ayaz Khan. Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and their security escorts have been killed, highlighting the risks faced by medical teams.
The latest vaccination drive in Pakistan began a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with medical staff and vowed to defeat the disease. The government hopes this campaign will bring the country closer to eliminating polio, a critical milestone in global health.
Health experts warn that any unvaccinated population in polio-endemic regions could serve as a reservoir for the virus, posing a threat to worldwide eradication efforts. As Pakistan moves forward with its campaign, the world watches closely, hoping for progress in a decades-long battle against polio.
Pakistan reported 63 confirmed polio cases this year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Along with neighboring Afghanistan, it remains one of the last two countries where the paralyzing virus persists.
Despite the urgency, vaccination efforts in Pakistan continue to face significant challenges, including violence. Militants have long spread misinformation that vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Authorities have deployed thousands of police officers to protect health workers following intelligence reports of potential attacks.
On the campaign’s first day, gunmen targeted a police escort in Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The ambush killed a police officer and wounded a health worker, according to local police official Ayaz Khan. Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and their security escorts have been killed, highlighting the risks faced by medical teams.
The latest vaccination drive in Pakistan began a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with medical staff and vowed to defeat the disease. The government hopes this campaign will bring the country closer to eliminating polio, a critical milestone in global health.
Health experts warn that any unvaccinated population in polio-endemic regions could serve as a reservoir for the virus, posing a threat to worldwide eradication efforts. As Pakistan moves forward with its campaign, the world watches closely, hoping for progress in a decades-long battle against polio.
