Pakistan Polio Crisis Worsens: 17 Cases Confirm Persistent Failure

Children Remain at High Risk as Vaccination Efforts Stall

Pakistan’s struggle against polio continues, with the National Institutes of Health confirming three new cases this week. These latest infections bring the total for 2025 to 17, highlighting a deeply entrenched public health challenge.

New Infections Expose Vulnerabilities

The recently identified cases include a 15-month-old girl in Takhtikhel, Lakki Marwat, a six-month-old girl in Mir Ali tehsil, North Waziristan, and a five-year-old boy from Chajro, Umerkot in Sindh. These add to the concerning tally of 10 cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, five in Sindh, and individual instances in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Systemic Neglect Fuels Outbreaks

Despite nationwide inoculation initiatives, polio persistently exploits weaknesses in Pakistan’s health outreach. Areas affected include conflict zones, remote rural communities, and regions where vaccine hesitancy is prevalent. Analysts suggest that a special vaccination drive from July 21-27 in border areas of KP and Balochistan, synchronized with Afghanistan’s efforts, has yielded limited impact.

Similarly, a targeted vaccination campaign launched on July 28 across six Balochistan districts, including Chaman, appears to lack the robust implementation necessary to reach children in isolated communities.

Urgent Action Needed to Protect Vulnerable Children

Polio, which can cause permanent paralysis without consistent oral vaccine coverage, remains a critical threat. The continued rise in cases underscores Pakistan’s ongoing difficulties in ensuring universal immunization and preventing transmission. Every unvaccinated child represents a significant risk not only to themselves but to the wider population.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif‘s recent pledge to escalate eradication efforts is seen by many as a reactive measure rather than a proactive strategy. Despite considerable international funding and established partnerships, recurring public health failures plague the nation’s approach.

Underlying Issues Hamper Progress

The ongoing polio crisis points to serious deficiencies within Pakistan’s health infrastructure. These include campaign fatigue, public distrust exacerbated by misinformation, and ineffective crisis management. The situation serves as a stark reminder that while global progress is being made, polio continues to affect Pakistan’s most vulnerable populations, raising questions about the state’s role in its continued spread.

Without immediate reform and genuine community engagement to replace inadequate vaccination drives, Pakistan risks undermining its commitment to polio eradication entirely.

The World Health Organization reported that Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where polio is still endemic. In 2023, Pakistan reported 11 polio cases, a significant increase from the single case recorded in 2022 (WHO, February 2024).