Islamabad: Karachi has emerged as Pakistan’s biggest exporter of poliovirus, surpassing even the traditional high-risk areas of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials warned on Thursday while urging parents to vaccinate their children during the upcoming nationwide campaign to protect them from lifelong paralysis.
“Karachi is the most potent exporter of poliovirus in the country and a trouble spot, even more than South KP from where 16 out of 18 cases were reported,” said Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq while addressing a joint media briefing with National Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator Muhammad Anwar ul Haq.
The nationwide anti-polio campaign will begin on October 13 and aims to vaccinate more than 45.4 million children under five across Pakistan. Vitamin A will also be given to children to strengthen immunity. In South KP, where security and accessibility challenges persist, the campaign will run from October 20 to 23. More than 403,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 women vaccinators, will take part in the drive.
Ayesha Raza Farooq reaffirmed the government’s strong commitment to eradicating the disease, saying that the number of missed children had dropped from 1.1 million in October 2024 to around 830,000 in May 2025. She said the improvement reflected stronger planning, better accountability, and greater community engagement.
“The last mile to end polio demands our strongest commitment yet,” she said. “When vaccinators come to your doorstep, please open your doors. Two drops can protect your child from a lifetime of disability.”
Pakistan has so far reported 29 polio cases in 2025, along with 501 positive environmental samples detected from sewage sites, showing that the virus continues to circulate in several areas. Of the 22 cases reported over the past six months, 15 were from South KP, which remains a major challenge due to inaccessibility and vaccine refusals.
Officials said that seven percent of the children affected this year suffered from severe paralysis, while nearly half of the cases were in children who had not received any essential immunization doses.
Sindh remains a key concern as intense and prolonged virus circulation continues in Karachi, Hyderabad and other southern districts. Three new cases have been reported recently from Hyderabad, Badin and Thatta.
Despite improvement in routine immunization and zero-dose coverage outside Karachi, resistance in many of the city’s localities continues to obstruct progress.
Punjab has not reported a single polio case for the past seven months, but the virus continues to be detected in Lahore’s sewage. Health authorities said that floods in September delayed vaccination in nine districts including Lahore, which allowed the virus to linger.
Balochistan has also not recorded any case this year and continues to show declining environmental positivity. However, poor routine immunization in Quetta, Zhob, Dera Bugti and other remote districts remains a challenge.
In contrast, northern KP has shown significant progress through better campaign quality and community participation. But South KP remains a global concern, with nearly 271,000 children still unvaccinated in September due to boycotts and security challenges.
National Coordinator Anwar ul Haq said that closing immunity gaps through high-quality campaigns was crucial. “We are closer than ever, but this virus finds every weakness,” he said. “Every citizen must play their role so that no child is left behind.”
Ayesha Raza Farooq praised the frontline health workers and security personnel for their dedication and sacrifice, calling them the backbone of Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts. She said stronger coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative and the Expanded Programme on Immunization was needed to reach unvaccinated children.
Despite challenges, both officials expressed confidence that Pakistan could interrupt transmission if communities fully cooperated. “The virus is losing ground but the last mile is the hardest,” Farooq said. “We must not rest until every child in Pakistan is protected and polio is finally eradicated.”
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