Polio case reported amid review of eradication efforts
ISLAMABAD: As the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for Polio Eradication concluded its review of Pakistan’s anti-polio efforts, the country has reported another case of the crippling disease, taking the tally for the current year so far to 13.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday confirmed a new case from Tank district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“An 18-month-old girl from Union Council Amakhel in Tank district is the seventh polio case from KP this year. With this latest detection, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 13 — including seven from KP, four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan,” an official at the lab said.
It is worth noting that Pakistan reported 74 polio cases in 2024, while only six cases were reported in 2023.
TAG reviews progress
The TAG for Polio Eradication has concluded its review of Pakistan’s eradication efforts, offering strategic guidance to address key barriers to ending polio — including missed children during campaigns, access limitations, vaccine hesitancy, and population movement.
TAG calls for improving management, campaign quality, vaccination of missed children
The review meeting in Islamabad brought together national and international experts for detailed discussions. It assessed polio eradication activities over the past six months, reviewed progress on the National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication, and issued concrete recommendations for improvement.
TAG’s latest recommendations emphasised improving management, campaign quality, vaccination of mobile and missed children, capacity building of frontline workers, monitoring and evaluation, and surveillance.
The review came at a crucial time, as Pakistan grapples with a resurgence of wild poliovirus — with 74 cases in 2024 and 13 cases as of June 27, 2025 — after implementing the NEAP 2024-25 to curb the spread.
“Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, and with strong operational oversight from the Ministry of Health, coordination among provinces has improved. We know that maintaining and strengthening our concerted efforts remains essential to fulfil this national mission,” said Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, according to an official statement.
Expressing appreciation for TAG’s continued support, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq said the group’s guidance has been critical in the fight against polio, and the programme will continue to translate its recommendations into coordinated action.
The meeting was attended by the chief secretaries of provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as representatives of partners and donors of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), including WHO, Rotary International, CDC, Unicef, Gates Foundation and Gavi.
Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2025
