The prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, was reported on Thursday that a single case of polio in the country had not been reported since February 10 due to the dedicated efforts of national antipolium campaigns.
Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, where polyomyelitis remains endemic, and the disease mainly affects children under five and sometimes causes life paralysis. Despite global efforts to eradicate virus, challenges such as safety problems, vaccine vaccine and erroneous information have slowed progress.
The country registered a total of 74 cases in 2024. Of these, 27 were found in Baluchistan, 23 in Sindh, 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one in Punjab and Islamabad. The first polio vaccination campaign at the national level of this year was held in February, followed by a fractional IPV-OPV polio campaign (injectable polio vaccine) in Quetta and Karachi on February 20 and 22, respectively. Around 1 million children were attacked for vaccination in this campaign, according to officials.
Presiding over the review meeting on the eradication of polyomyelitis in Islamabad today, the prime minister was told that, as a result of the dedicated anti-political campaigns, a single case of polio in the country had not been informed since February 10.
According The Associated Press of Pakistan (app)The prime minister praised the efforts of relevant government institutions, international organizations and partners to make Pakistan free of polyomyelitis. He directed the relevant authorities to guarantee the conscience and mobilization of the community with respect to the anti-political campaign throughout the country.
“You must ensure that each child under five years of age is given the polyomyelitis vaccine during the anti-political campaign from April 21,” he said.
He stressed that, together with the campaign, the immunization of national routine for protection against other dangerous diseases must also be fully guaranteed.
“Despite the challenging conditions, the workers who participate in the anti-political campaign are playing a frontline role in the fight against this disease,” said the prime minister, added that the entire nation, including himself, was proud of the workers of the worker polyomyelitis.
The prime minister was informed about the next anti-political campaign from April 21 to 27, during which 4.5 million children will receive the polyomyelitis vaccine.
A total of 415,000 polio workers would participate in this campaign nationwide.
The meeting was reported that, according to Prime Minister’s instructions, the validation of the third -party campaign will be completed from April 28 to April 30.
In addition, the monitoring of the cold chain of antipolium campaigns was being monitored under a digital system.
The meeting was attended by the Federal Minister of Health, Syed Mustafa Kamal, the focal person of the Prime Minister for the eradication of Polyomyelitis Ayesha Raza, Sindh’s Minister of Health, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, main secretaries of the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltist, representatives of international partners and other relevant officials and other relevant officials senior.
Sindh campaign to vaccinate more than 10.6 million children under 5 years old
Separately, the government of Sindh, in a statement, said it was launching a vaccination campaign against polyomyelitis throughout the province from April 21 to 27, with the aim of vaccinating more than 10.6 million children under five against the virus.
According to a statement issued by the Emergency Operations Center for Sindh (EOC), only in Karachi, more than 2.76 million children would be attacked during the campaign.
To ensure that each eligible child received the vaccine, approximately 69,724 trained polyomyelitis workers would go from door to door, as well as visit schools, shopping centers and traffic points throughout the province. Of these, more than 20,000 would be deployed in Karachi.
An integral security plan was established, with 24,552 security personnel deployed to protect polio workers and support teams during the one -week campaign, of which 5,669 would be in Karachi.
“Every dose of the polyomyelitis vaccine is essential to build the protection of a child against this paralyzing disease. Parents must completely cooperate with vaccinators during the campaign and make sure each child receives the vaccine, every time,” every time. ” Application He said, citing Irshad Ali Sodhar, provincial coordinator of EOC.
Sindh EOC mobilized district administrations, religious leaders, medical associations and media organizations to help promote vaccination awareness and counteract erroneous information.
Citizens were urged to cooperate completely with polyomyelitis equipment and encourage their families and communities to ensure that no child is without vaccination.
If a child under five years of age has lost their polyomyelitis falls, call 1166 aid line or WhatsApp at 0346-77776546, according to the statement.
By chairing a meeting of the provincial task force for the eradication of polyomyelitis, Sindh’s prime minister Murad Ali Shah said that the province reported four cases of polyomyelitis in 2025, compared to 23 in 2024 and 2 in 2023, emphasizing the need for better supervision and coordination in all districts in preparation for the nearby vaccination campaign.
“Our efforts this year should focus on ensuring that each child receives the polyomyelitis vaccine,” he said.
The Minister of Health of Sindh, Dr. Azra Pechuho, informed the Prime Minister that the province reported four cases of polio in 2025.
The CM emphasized the importance of leadership at the district level to reach each child and overcome parents’ hesitation through a respectful and data -based commitment.
“Each rejection must be seen as an opportunity to educate and generate trust,” he said. “The attached commissioners must lead from the front and guarantee daily supervision in the field.”
Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas have also had positive environmental surveillance results for polio virus. Therefore, parents must ensure that their children are appropriate and regularly vaccinated to protect them from the polio, CM said.
Dr. Pechuho highlighted the need for sustained monitoring in the communities affected by erroneous information or vaccine fatigue.
“We must strengthen the role of supervisors and make sure two or three visits to each home where vaccination was initially rejected,” he said. “We must also continue integrating nutrition and routine immunization with polio campaigns.”
The prime minister concluded urging all the officials and representatives elected to support the polio teams during the campaign.
“The virus is still present, but there is also our resolution. We owe each child that makes this campaign count,” he said. “Let Sindh lead the way to a Pakistan without polio.”
