The Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health Services, Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Barath, has expressed concern over the lack of polio vaccinations being administered to children across the country this year despite intensifying campaign efforts.
He sounded the alarm as he pointed out that 60% of children in this year’s polio cases did not receive any routine immunization shots.
“The severity of the disease in children was also seen due to lack of vaccination,” Bharath said before directing the federal and provincial authorities to take immediate action in this regard.
“Ensure that every child is vaccinated against all diseases, including polio,” he said, urging the Federal Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program to form a joint strategy for polio-affected areas.
His remarks came as he addressed the inaugural meeting of the steering committee focused on strengthening the polio vaccination program for children.
During the meeting, he outlined the current challenges faced by EPI and the Pakistan Pyelitis Eradication Program in their fight against polio in the country.
Detailing the plans for the upcoming campaign, he revealed that polio workers will identify children who lack vaccination while EPI vaccinators will be responsible for completing the vaccination cycle of these children.
He further reiterated the federal government’s commitment to protect children from infectious diseases, saying the ministry would use “all resources for this”.
“I am firmly committed to eradicating polio from the entire country,” Bhaath said. “I and the federal health minister will monitor all the steps that will be taken.”
His comments came after the National Coordinator for EOC, Capt (red) Anwar-ul-Haq, announced a nationwide polio vaccination campaign to be held from December 16 to 22. The News was mentioned.
The campaign will target 44 million children in 143 districts across Pakistan, excluding some districts in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir due to logistical constraints.
Pakistan’s fight against polio continues to face obstacles. Despite a 99% reduction in wild polio cases since the start of Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Program in 1994, the reintroduction of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) YB3A genetic cluster in 2023 through cross-border transmission has spread the virus to 82 areas .
The absence of routine immunization in a large group of children has created immunity gaps, making these populations vulnerable to the virus.
Insecurity in areas such as southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan is a substantial challenge, with interruptions in vaccination campaigns leaving many children unreached or under-immunized.
Additionally, demand-based denials in these areas, where communities boycott polio campaigns as leverage for other services, further complicate eradication efforts.
Misconceptions and propaganda against polio vaccines also hinder progress, with some parents refusing to vaccinate their children despite the vaccine’s proven safety and effectiveness.
Since its inception, Pakistan’s polio eradication program has achieved remarkable milestones. Wild polio cases have fallen from about 20,000 a year in the 1990s to 59 cases so far in 2024.
The number of wild poliovirus genetic clusters has also dropped significantly — from 11 in 2020 to just one. YB3A is currently in circulation. The YB3C genetic cluster, which was native to Pakistan, has not been detected since November 2023, indicating its possible extinction.
Anwar-ul-Haq highlighted Pakistan’s polio virus surveillance system, which is among the largest and most sensitive in the world.
The network includes over 12,000 acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) reporting sites and 127 environmental sampling sites in 87 regions. This year alone, approximately 20,000 AFP samples and over 1,800 environmental samples have been tested, with 29% of environmental samples testing positive for WPV1.
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