Pakistan Polio Campaign Misses Merged-District Target for 935,000 Children

Security disruptions during mass displacement left critical gaps in outreach, sustaining elevated transmission risk.

Overview

Authorities report the 2025 drive vaccinated more than 44.6 million children nationwide, including 22.9 million in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.15 million in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 2.58 million in Balochistan.
In the merged districts, the campaign failed to fully reach a target cohort of 935,000 children under five due to insecurity and large-scale population movements.
WHO confirms 19 polio cases in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 2025, including four each in North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat and Tank; three in Bannu; two in Torghar; and one each in Dera Ismail Khan and Lower Kohistan.
In Sindh’s Hyderabad and adjoining areas, more than 12,000 children were recorded as missed in the final 2025 round, with absent households and parental refusals concentrated in cantonment and municipal localities.
Officials say reduced WHO and UNICEF staffing and curtailed WHO funding in high-risk merged districts weakened coverage, and they warn uncoordinated vaccination during displacement keeps children at heightened risk.