The National Institute of Health (NIH) of Pakistan has confirmed two additional cases of Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in the country, marking a troubling development in the fight against polio in 2025. According to an official statement from the NIH, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication confirmed one case from southern Sindh province and another from eastern Punjab province. This brings the total number of polio cases reported in Pakistan to five in 2025, with this being the third case from Sindh and the first from Punjab.
In 2024, Pakistan reported 74 polio cases, with the majority of them emerging from provinces such as Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Sindh. The persistence of the virus in Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, highlights the ongoing challenges in eradicating polio globally.
Attacks on Polio Workers
A disturbing trend has emerged alongside the rise in polio cases: attacks on health workers involved in the vaccination campaigns. Last week, gunmen targeted a polio vaccination team in Damadola, Mamund, Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The attack resulted in the killing of a police officer who was providing security to the team during their door-to-door vaccination campaign. The attackers, riding motorbikes, fled the scene after the assault. This follows an earlier incident earlier this month, where another policeman assigned to protect polio workers in the Jamrud district of KP was also killed.
These attacks are part of a broader pattern of violence against polio workers in Pakistan, a country where over 200 polio workers have been killed since the 1990s. Militants, often citing beliefs that polio vaccination campaigns are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize children, have escalated their attacks on health workers in recent years. This has created a climate of fear among both vaccinators and the local population, with many hesitant to vaccinate their children due to concerns about retaliation.
Challenges to Polio Eradication
The continued presence of polio in Pakistan, despite years of vaccination efforts, underscores the challenges the country faces in eradicating the disease. Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, remains one of the last two countries in the world where polio cases continue to be reported. The presence of militant groups and widespread misinformation surrounding the vaccine contribute to the persistence of the virus.
In response to this public health challenge, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched the country’s first polio vaccination campaign of the year on February 2, 2025. The initiative aims to vaccinate 44.2 million children under the age of five, a critical step in curbing the spread of the virus.
Despite the government’s commitment to ending polio, the continued violence against health workers and the entrenched misinformation about vaccination remain significant obstacles. The need for improved security measures, public awareness campaigns, and greater cooperation from local communities has never been more urgent.
As Pakistan continues its efforts to eradicate polio, the international community must remain vigilant in supporting vaccination initiatives and ensuring the safety of those on the front lines of this crucial health mission.
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