Pakistan recorded a remarkable health achievement during 2025, as official data showed a significant decline in polio cases of up to 50% compared to the figures recorded in 2024. This positive development is the result of intensive efforts by the Pakistani government in cooperation with international partners within the global initiative to eradicate this deadly disease.
Statistics and National Campaign Details
Anwar ul-Haq, coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, announced that health authorities recorded only 30 cases of the virus, which can cause permanent paralysis, during 2025—a significant decrease compared to the 74 cases recorded the previous year. This announcement coincided with the two-week anniversary of the launch of the latest nationwide immunization campaign, which aimed to vaccinate approximately 45 million children across the country to strengthen community immunity against the virus.
Pakistan and Afghanistan: The last stronghold of the virus
These figures are of paramount strategic importance in the context of global health, as the World Health Organization classifies Pakistan and its neighbor Afghanistan as the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic. The shared border and constant population movement have posed significant logistical and health challenges for vaccination teams for many years, meaning that any progress in one country has a positive impact on the other and on regional health security.
Historical context and challenges
Over the past decades, vaccination campaigns in Pakistan have faced significant challenges, ranging from geographical difficulties in reaching remote areas and misconceptions about vaccines to security threats that have sometimes targeted medical personnel. However, the decline recorded in 2025 indicates improvements in strategies, increased community awareness, and success in reaching previously hard-to-reach populations.
Global importance of eradicating the disease
The impact of this decline is not limited to Pakistan alone; it represents a glimmer of hope for the entire international community. The complete eradication of polio in Pakistan means its eradication globally, closing the door on the possibility of the virus re-emerging in countries previously declared polio-free. The World Health Organization affirms that maintaining this pace of immunization campaigns and rigorous epidemiological surveillance is the only way to declare the world completely polio-free, a long-awaited global dream.
