Polio has re-emerged in Pakistan, highlighting the obstacles faced by officials in their ongoing fight to eradicate one of the world’s most stubborn diseases. In October alone, Pakistan recorded over a dozen new cases, raising the total for the year to 39—up sharply from just six cases last year, when the country was on the brink of eliminating the virus.
Polio, an extremely infectious virus primarily impacting children under five, attacks the nervous system, often leading to paralysis, respiratory issues, or even death. While no cure exists, the virus can be prevented through vaccination, which has reduced polio cases worldwide by more than 99% since the 1980s, thanks to dedicated immunization campaigns.
Polio endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan only
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the last countries where polio is endemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Recently, WHO also raised concerns about a potential resurgence of polio in Gaza, where years of conflict have undermined healthcare services.
Vaccination programs in Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, have historically faced difficulties due to a deep-seated mistrust of foreign healthcare providers. In 2011, reports that U.S. intelligence operatives used a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad to track Osama bin Laden added to these fears, further complicating public health initiatives.
Religious beliefs and limited awareness about the dangers of polio have also hindered vaccination efforts. Despite concerted attempts by international organizations and local authorities to counter misinformation and immunize children, skepticism persists.
Balochistan in Pakistan witnesses majority of new cases
The majority of new cases in Pakistan have emerged in southwestern Balochistan province near the Afghan border, where officials note that many parents refuse to vaccinate their children due to prevalent misinformation and distrust of healthcare workers. Most infected children had only received some of the required four doses.
Increased surveillance is expected to reveal additional cases, and significant efforts are being made to address past gaps in immunization coverage. However, recent attacks on vaccination clinics have added a new layer of difficulty, as violence against polio workers has escalated in Pakistan.
Militants have long targeted anti-polio campaigns, sometimes asserting that vaccines are a Western plot designed to sterilize children. In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 27 attacks on polio workers have been recorded this year alone. Tragically, September saw several incidents, including the killing of a police officer protecting a polio site in Bannu and a separate shooting in Bajaur that resulted in the deaths of both a police officer and a polio worker.
Nationwide vaccination campaign
Pakistani health workers typically mark a child’s finger after vaccination to confirm they received the dose. However, in some instances, children are mistakenly marked as vaccinated even when they haven’t received the shot.
Despite these setbacks, Pakistani officials remain hopeful they can contain the virus. On October 28, the country is set to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting 45 million children under five, emphasizing that “polio eradication is Pakistan’s top priority.” The Polio Eradication Programme also expressed optimism on social media, citing a unified plan across provinces to end polio transmission by 2025.
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