ISLAMABAD: A five-day polio eradication campaign has been launched to vaccinate the children of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
The anti-polio drive, running from (today) April 21 to April 27, aims to immunize 800,000 children under the age of five across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan, which has reported six polio cases so far in 2025, remains one of the two countries in the world where polio is still endemic. Polio yet to be eradicated in the rebouring country Afghanistan.
“A five-day polio eradication campaign is set to be launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Apr. 21,” the report read. “According to the provincial health department, more than 800,000 children in the capital city of Peshawar will receive the polio vaccine.”
The health authorities have formed over 30,000 teams were formed who would go door to door to administer polio drops to children below five years of age. More than 50,000 police personnel will guard polio teams during performing their duties.
Pakistan’s polio program, launched in 1994, has faced significant challenges, including vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners who claim immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage. Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccination teams.
Last year, Pakistan reported 73 polio cases. Of these, 27 were from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Yesterday evening, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had inaugurated a nationwide anti-polio drive. Today marks the beginning of another nationwide polio campaign. With Allah’s grace, we are vaccinating children not only here, but across the country, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir,” he said while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the campaign.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation had extended travel restrictions for another 90-day period. Since 2014, the WHO has required all travellers from Pakistan to present a valid polio vaccination certificate before departing the country.
