ISLAMABAD, Jul 27 (APP):A high-level Pakistani delegation has briefed the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) about government's commitment to eradicating polio from the country. During the meeting with IMB in Geneva the delegation informed that the intensified government-led efforts, data-driven strategies and improved vaccination campaigns have significantly reduced virus transmission, bringing the country closer to ending the disease. The delegation, led by Minister of State for National Health Services Dr. Malik …
Pakistan briefs IMB on intensified push to end Polio
ISLAMABAD, Jul 27 (APP):A high-level Pakistani delegation has briefed the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) about government’s commitment to eradicating polio from the country.
During the meeting with IMB in Geneva the delegation informed that the intensified government-led efforts, data-driven strategies and improved vaccination campaigns have significantly reduced virus transmission, bringing the country closer to ending the disease.
The delegation, led by Minister of State for National Health Services Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath met the IMB during its session in Geneva, where global polio eradication efforts, particularly in Pakistan and Afghanistan, were reviewed.
The delegation highlighted that Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8 percent since the early 1990s—from an estimated 20,000 annual cases to 31 in 2025, with only three cases reported so far in 2026.
Addressing the board, Dr. Bharath said the decline in virus transmission reflected strong government leadership, improved campaign quality, enhanced accountability, better use of data and the dedication of frontline vaccinators despite challenging conditions.
He said polio eradication had become a whole-of-government mission led by the Prime Minister, with coordinated efforts at all levels to ensure every vaccination campaign was implemented effectively.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq said Pakistan had reduced polio cases by more than 50 percent, from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025, owing to evidence-based strategies, quality immunization campaigns, stronger disease surveillance and closer coordination with the Expanded Programme on Immunization.
She said the remaining virus transmission was concentrated mainly in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where insecurity continued to restrict access to children.
She outlined targeted local strategies to reach missed children through repeated vaccination drives and integrated delivery of essential health services, including routine immunization, nutrition, WASH and maternal and child healthcare.
The Independent Monitoring Board, an independent body of global health experts established under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, annually reviews progress in polio-endemic and high-risk countries and issues recommendations to accelerate eradication efforts.
