Pakistan begins last anti-polio vaccination drive of the year after surge in new cases

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ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani authorities on Monday launched the final nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of the year, aiming to protect 45 million children after more than two dozen cases of the potentially paralyzing disease were reported, officials said.

According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where polio has not been eradicated.

Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases since January, down from 74 during the same period last year, according to a statement from the government-run Polio Eradication Initiative.

The campaign is the country’s fifth national vaccination drive this year. Pakistan regularly conducts such campaigns despite persistent security threats.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal urged parents to cooperate with vaccination teams. “This is not just about numbers. Each case threatens a child’s future and the safety of our communities,” Kamal said about the latest polio cases.

According to the statement, more than 400,000 front-line health workers are going door-to-door across Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and in Islamabad, to ensure no child is missed.

Militants have repeatedly targeted vaccination workers and the police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming the campaigns are a Western plot to sterilize Muslim children.

Authorities have deployed thousands of police officers to protect vaccination teams following intelligence reports warning of possible militant attacks.

Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and police officers assigned to guard them have been killed in such attacks.

“The December polio campaign is synchronized with Afghanistan, ensuring both countries boost immunity together to interrupt cross-border transmission,” the statement said.

Officials said Pakistan has made significant progress in containing the virus.

“We are closer than ever to achieving eradication, and this campaign represents a vital final push to stop the virus everywhere it still circulates,” it said.