ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has claimed significant progress in its fight against poliovirus after cases more than halved in 2025, even though nearly 800,000 children were missed during the year’s final nationwide vaccination campaign.
According to a statement issued by the country’s polio eradication programme, reported cases of the incurable paralytic disease fell to 30 in 2025, a steep decline from 74 the previous year. No new cases have been reported anywhere in the country since September.
However, health experts have urged caution, noting that the country — one of only two in the world, alongside neighbouring Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic — has seen premature declarations of success before.
The data released by the programme highlights the immense logistical and social challenges facing health workers on the ground. While six vaccination campaigns were conducted throughout the year, the most recent nationwide drive, held in mid-December, failed to reach its complete target.
Aiming to vaccinate 45.4 million children under the age of five, health workers reached 44.6 million. The programme cited “refusals reported from across the country” as a primary reason for the gap, pointing to the lingering issue of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation in conservative areas.
Despite the official optimism, a polio expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, warned against complacency, noting the virus’s history of resurgence.
Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2026
