High-level Polio eradication delegation visits Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Jul 10 (APP): Pakistan hosted a high-level delegation of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) Polio Oversight Board (POB) this week.

The delegation’s visit was organized reiterating the country’s unwavering commitment to seizing the historic opportunity to end the global and regional public health threat of paralytic polio.

Discussions emphasized that the poliovirus is being further confined – mainly in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – and the next six months will be critical for taking a further step towards ending polio in Pakistan and worldwide.

Since 1994, thanks to medical science and life-saving vaccines, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8% – from 20,000 estimated cases in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025, and 3 so far in 2026.

The delegation members lauded the Government’s strengthened oversight of polio eradication efforts and reiterated that global support and confidence in Pakistan’s polio operations remains strong.

While emphasizing that the shrinking global funding landscape is narrowing the window to interrupt poliovirus transmission in the world’s two remaining endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the delegation members reiterated the importance of sustaining investment in polio eradication while strengthening essential routine immunization to protect the hard-won gains achieved over the past three decades.

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq held meetings with the delegation in Islamabad and shared Pakistan’s progress against polio.

The delegation was led by the Chair of the Polio Oversight Board (POB) and Rotary International PolioPlus Committee, Mike McGovern, and included the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region Dr Hanan Balkhy, UNICEF Asia Pacific Regional Director Sanjay Wijesekera, Gates Foundation Global Development President Dr Chris Elias, US Centers for Disease Control Polio Team Lead Dr Omotayo Bolu, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) Chief Executive Officer Dr Sania Nishtar, and the senior adviser of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre Relief Dr Ziad Memish.

The POB is the highest decision-making and oversight body of the GPEI, the global public-private partnership working with national governments and partners to eradicate polio globally and protect every child from a deadly paralytic disease that has no cure but can be prevented through vaccines.

Meeting the delegation, Pakistani officials appreciated the POB and GPEI partners and donors for their continued support for Pakistan and its science-based polio eradication efforts.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to polio eradication, the officials said the government is taking every possible measure to protect Pakistan’s children from polio and secure their future.

They further stated that polio eradication is a key national priority and urged all stakeholders to accelerate their joint efforts. They directed special attention to the adoption of effective strategies for polio hotspots in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In his meeting with the delegation, Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal highlighted that the strength of the polio response has been supplemented with enhanced inter-provincial coordination, complete government oversight and strengthened health service delivery to protect children from all vaccine-preventable diseases.

“Polio eradication investments continue to strengthen the broader immunization and primary health care system. Closer integration between the Expanded Programme on Immunization and the Polio Programme is helping improve reach, particularly for zero-dose and under-immunized children. The same systems that help us interrupt poliovirus transmission are also strengthening protection against measles, hepatitis, and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” he said.

Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq underscored the progress achieved, although cautioning that sustained concerted efforts will be crucial to preserve hard-fought gains and seize the opportunity to eradicate polio.

“Through high-quality campaigns, robust surveillance, strengthened monitoring mechanisms, and thanks to the heroic dedication of our frontline polio workers and the unwavering support of our security personnel, polio cases have been reduced from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025, and three so far this year,” she said.

“This moment demands relentless, unwavering commitment and a shared determination to avoid complacency. The window to stop polio is narrowing, and every missed child puts progress at risk.

Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is implementing a strategic roadmap to drive progress towards achieving zero polio.

“Maintaining our efforts is essential to prevent new resurgences and seize the opportunity to eradicate poliovirus once and for all,” she said.

The delegation also reaffirmed its support for Pakistan’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and PEI in their ongoing efforts to further integrate polio operations and routine vaccination, as well as for PEI’s engagement in Gavi 6.0 planning and the introduction of new vaccines into EPI’s routine immunization schedule.

POB members also participated in a roundtable discussion with female frontline health workers from across the country, recognizing their contributions and listening first-hand about their inspiring journeys.

Before arriving in Pakistan, the delegation also visited Afghanistan. The two countries remain the only hotspots of wild polio in the world.

So far, this year, Pakistan has reported three polio cases, while Afghanistan has reported seven cases.