Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and his Saudi counterpart Fahad Al-Jalajel held a discussion in Riyadh related to polio eradication from Pakistan, along with talks related to cooperation in the health sector and promotion of investment, the health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The meeting took place a day ago on the sidelines of the Ninth Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII9) in Riyadh, where Kamal was part of a Pakistani delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Islamabad and Riyadh share long-standing diplomatic ties and, in recent years, have sought to expand and strengthen their partnership by adding greater strategic depth through enhanced cooperation in defence, economy, and health.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress.

“Both ministers held detailed discussions regarding polio eradication in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” said the health ministry’s spokesperson, Sajjad Shah. “The upcoming polio eradication campaign was also discussed in the meeting.”

“Eliminating polio is one of the top priorities of the Government of Pakistan,” Kamal was quoted as saying by the spokesperson. “Under the leadership of the prime minister of Pakistan, steps are being taken to eradicate polio with complete unity.”

According to Kamal, the “historical and brotherly relations” between the two countries are built on strong foundations.

The health minister highlighted that so far, four national polio eradication campaigns have been successfully conducted during the year 2025, adding that the campaigns have ensured access to the vaccine for 45 million children.

“As a result of high-quality polio campaigns, cases have decreased significantly,” Kamal said. He, however, stressed that despite progress in the fight against polio, “the mission is not yet complete,” he added.

The Saudi delegation appreciated the steps taken by Pakistan to combat polio, per the ministry’s spokesperson. The delegation also assured of continued cooperation in combating polio in the future.

This year, at least 30 cases of the poliovirus have been reported across the country so far. In 2024, Pakistan reported at least 71 polio cases, with the virus detected in around 90 districts.

Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, along with the timely completion of all essential immunisations.