Pakistan: Polio drive in merged districts falls short; 935,000 children missed

ISLAMABAD: The polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan's merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fell short of its target, leaving over 935,000 children under five unvaccinated, officials said, citing security challenges and population displacement as key hurdles, The Express Tribune reported.

According to The Express Tribune, citing authorities, thousands of families from North and South Waziristan, Bajaur, and other merged districts have migrated to different parts of the country, complicating monitoring and vaccination efforts.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 19 polio cases 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, as reported by The Express Tribune.

Officials noted that staffing and operational support for WHO and Unicef programmes in the merged districts were reduced last year, while WHO funding cuts also affected campaign coverage, leaving children in these areas at heightened risk.

In Sindh, more than 12,000 children under five were reportedly missed during the final polio drive of 2025 in Hyderabad and surrounding areas, according to The Express Tribune.

Refusals were recorded mainly in Cantonment areas and municipal towns such as Hussainabad, Preetabad, Qasimabad, and Tando Jam, with absent households and parental refusals cited as primary reasons.

Despite these gaps, the nationwide anti-polio campaign successfully vaccinated more than 44.6 million children across Pakistan, according to The Express Tribune.

Punjab led with 22.9 million children vaccinated, followed by Sindh with 10.6 million, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 7.15 million, and Balochistan with 2.58 million.

Officials said contributions from other regions also added to the national tally.

Authorities warned that without sustained vaccination efforts, particularly in displaced and high-risk populations, children in the merged districts remain vulnerable to polio, The Express Tribune reported.