Pakistan Launches Sub-National Polio Vaccination Campaign Nationwide

Pakistan has launched a new round of sub-national polio vaccination campaign targeting high-risk districts across the country, intensifying efforts to eradicate one of the last remaining strongholds of the poliovirus globally. The drive is being conducted across vulnerable areas identified through environmental surveillance and case tracking data compiled by the national polio programme.

Health authorities coordinating the campaign have deployed thousands of frontline vaccination workers to administer oral poliovirus vaccine to children under five years of age. The sub-national format targets geographically concentrated transmission zones rather than a full nationwide rollout, allowing resources to be focused where epidemiological risk is highest.

Pakistan remains one of two countries in the world where wild poliovirus transmission has not been interrupted, alongside Afghanistan. Persistent pockets of under-vaccination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, parts of Balochistan, and tribal belt districts continue to present challenges for programme managers despite years of intensive immunisation efforts.

Public health officials and international partners including the World Health Organisation and UNICEF have emphasised that consistent campaign execution, coupled with community engagement to address vaccine hesitancy, is critical to achieving the zero-transmission benchmark required for formal eradication certification. The current campaign is expected to cover millions of children before its conclusion.