Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ms. Ayesha Raza Farooq has said Pakistan will soon be free of polio virus circulation through early detection, rapid response and high campaign coverage.
Pakistan to soon be free of polio virus circulation through early detection, rapid response: Ayesha
PESHAWAR, Sep 16 (APP):Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ms. Ayesha Raza Farooq has said Pakistan will soon be free of polio virus circulation through early detection, rapid response and high campaign coverage.
She said almost the entire country would be cleared of polio virus in 2026, while a small pocket in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where three cases have been reported, would be targeted under a comprehensive plan to eliminate polio transmission by mid-2027.
She was briefing health journalists from across the country on ongoing polio eradication initiatives and the planned Sub-National Immunization Drive (SNID), scheduled for September 21-27 to vaccinate 31 million children under five in 115 high-risk districts.
National Coordinator National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Anwar-ul-Haq, Director General Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI), Dr. Musa Khan, Polio National Team Lead for UNICEF in Pakistan Melissa Corkum, relevant officials and health journalists from different cities attended the briefing.
Ayesha Raza Farooq said that there has been a steady decline in detection of polio virus in environmental sampling, registering a plunge from 417 in 2025 to 124 from Jan to July in 2026.
While the latest immunization campaigns achieved coverage of 98 percent in February, 99 percent in April and 98 percent in May 2026.
Similarly, there has been a significant reduction of 96 percent in polio cases nationwide during the last three years declining from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025 and 4 till September 16, 2026, reflecting progress towards eradication of the crippling virus, shared Ms. Ayesha.
She said the upcoming campaign in 115 districts is synchronized with Afghanistan, focusing on reaching maximum zero-dose children, particularly among nomadic and migrant populations in both countries.
Both Pakistan and Afghanistan represent single epidemiological block and for purging the region from polio virus, coordinated efforts and initiatives can prove meaningful, she added.
Ms. Ayesha said the remuneration of 400,000 frontline workers, mostly women, had been increased by around 28 percent to improve the effectiveness of polio vaccination campaigns.
The decision has been taken to motivate the brave and courageous frontline workers who go door to door in difficult environment and terrain for the protection of our children from permanent disability.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication said recurrent vaccination campaigns are critical for targeting remaining reservoirs and ensuring all the children are covered.
She said consensus has been developed among all the stakeholder including political parties, elected representatives, Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Senators, MNAs, MPAs and government servants who are all on one page of making the country clear from polio virus.
She said vigilance of polio virus is constantly in progress through world’s largest network of environmental sampling and every effort is made to protect the children by increasing their immunity through administering of immunization.
Responding to a question about the recent launch of the fractional-dose inactivated poliovirus vaccine (fIPV) campaign in selected union councils of Sindh and Baluchistan, Ayesha Raza said it aims to strengthen children’s immunity in high-risk areas where poliovirus has been detected through environmental surveillance.
She added that supplementary immunization aims to bridge immunity gaps and strengthen children’s gut immunity, preventing the virus from multiplying in the body and enabling it to pass out through stool.
The same campaign for administering booster dose will also be carried out in other parts of the country including Khyber Paktunkhwa.
About challenges in immunization of children in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to security issues, She said a new strategy has been chalked out for improving immunization coverage in the region and soon the plan will be implemented to cover the pockets which are missed.
National Coordinator National Emergency Operation (NEOC), Anwar-ul-Haq has responded to different questions asked by journalist during the press briefing.
