PAKISTAN’S latest sub-national polio campaign offers encouraging evidence that the country can still push back against a virus that has proved stubbornly difficult to eliminate. Reaching more than 18.6m children across 79 high-risk districts and achieving 98pc coverage is no small feat. Behind it was the dedication of over 163,000 front-line workers who went door to door, often in difficult conditions, to ensure that children received life-saving protection. Particularly noteworthy was the effort to track down children who were absent during initial visits. Of the more than 404,000 youngsters missed during the first round, vaccination teams succeeded in reaching 88pc. Such persistence is essential in a programme where every unvaccinated child represents a potential opening for the virus.

Yet success should not breed complacency. The campaign still recorded 22,320 parental refusals. While the national refusal rate of 0.12pc may appear low, these pockets of resistance continue to sustain immunity gaps that the virus can exploit. Equally concerning is the fact that tens of thousands of children were missed during the initial phase of the drive. Environmental samples continue to detect poliovirus in different parts of the country, indicating that transmission has not been interrupted. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus is still endemic. The ease with which the virus crosses borders means that neither country can succeed in isolation. The challenge now is to convert strong campaign performance into permanent victory. The 2026 National Emergency Action Plan must focus on the remaining weak points: vaccine hesitancy, missed children, population movement and persistent transmission hotspots. Community engagement must be intensified, especially in areas where refusals remain concentrated. At the same time, regional coordination with Afghanistan should be a priority. Pakistan has repeatedly proved that it can reach millions of children. The final test is whether it can reach the last few who continue to be missed.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2026