ISLAMABAD: Despite missing around 800,000 children during the year’s last polio campaign, Pakistan has made progress in its fight against poliovirus in 2025, according to a statement issued by the polio eradication programme.

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.

“During the year, six polio vaccination campaigns were conducted, including five nationwide drives. As a result, reported polio cases dropped sharply from 74 in 2024 to 30 in 2025, with no new cases reported anywhere in the country since September,” the statement said.

However a polio expert, wishing to remain anonymous, said that it was the tendency of the virus to remain recessive for some years and then bounce back.

“It is correct that Pakistan reported 74 cases in 2024 and the number of cases declined to 30 during the ongoing year,” he said. “However, only six cases were reported in 2023 while as many as 20 cases were reported in 2022.“

Additionally, he added that although the year was almost complete, there was a possibility that the number of cases may further increase, as it took almost three weeks to confirm that a child was paralysed due to polio or for some other reason.

“In the lab, we get almost 4,000 samples from paralysed children every year for testing. So by the end of January, we will be in a position to confirm the number of cases for 2025,” the expert said.

It is worth mentioning that the target for the last nationwide polio campaign was to vaccinate 45.4 million children under the age of five. However, a total of 44.6m children were vaccinated as refusals were reported from across the country.

The statement issued by the polio programme said that although the number of polio cases continued to decline, Pakistan’s unwavering fight against the disease would persist until complete eradication was achieved. The virus, however, continues to circulate in certain high-risk areas, making sustained vigilance crucial.

Targeted interventions, robust community engagement, and ongoing vaccination efforts remained essential to reach every missed child and prevent any resurgence. Frontline health workers, security personnel, and local authorities continue to work in close coordination to maintain high immunity levels and ensure that Pakistan remains on course toward becoming polio-free, it said.

These gains were further reinforced during the most recent national polio vaccination campaign, conducted from December 15-21. The campaign achieved over 98 per cent coverage at the national level, with strong provincial-level performance across all four provinces, as well as in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Islamabad.

Compared to the previous round, an 18pc reduction in missed children was recorded, alongside notable improvements in access and operational performance, particularly in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Nevertheless, efforts will continue until every unreached child is protected,” the statement added. While these efforts have led to significant gains, the fight against polio will continue, it said.

“Ongoing engagement with communities, religious leaders, civil society, and the media remains crucial to strengthen trust, counter misinformation, and ensure that every child is protected from polio,” the statement said.

It added that while localised access challenges persisted, especially in parts of southern KP, these gaps had been clearly identified and were being addressed through “targeted, district-specific interventions”.

Enhanced microplanning, improved team deployment, strengthened community engagement, and close security coordination remains central to these focused efforts, it said.

“Building on the progress achieved in 2025, Pakistan’s polio eradication programme is intensifying targeted efforts in 2026 to interrupt remaining virus transmission and move decisively toward eradication.

“With transmission now limited, population immunity rising, and performance improving in historically challenging areas, the programme remains firmly on track to secure a polio-free future for every child in Pakistan,” the statement said.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic.