Pakistan continues its long-running campaign to eliminate polio, with health workers carrying out vaccination activities across the country to protect millions of children from the disease.
The latest campaign began in September 2026 and is targeting more than 31 million children under the age of five. The campaign covers high-risk areas where vaccination and disease surveillance remain particularly important.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has not been eradicated, making vaccination campaigns an important part of the international effort to eliminate the disease.
Why Polio Remains an Important Issue
Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis. Young children are particularly vulnerable, which is why vaccination programs focus heavily on children under five.
Pakistan has spent years conducting door-to-door vaccination campaigns, routine immunization programs, disease surveillance, and awareness campaigns to stop the transmission of poliovirus.
Despite these efforts, eliminating the virus has proven difficult.
The challenge is not simply delivering vaccines. Health teams must reach children in remote areas, maintain public trust, identify areas where transmission may be occurring, and ensure that children receive repeated doses when necessary.
The September Vaccination Campaign
The latest nationwide campaign is targeting more than 31 million children.
Health workers visit homes and communities to administer oral polio vaccine drops to children. These campaigns are particularly important in areas where routine healthcare access is limited or where previous vaccination coverage has been incomplete.
The objective is to create strong immunity among children and prevent the virus from spreading between communities.
Vaccination campaigns also provide an opportunity for health authorities to identify areas where children may have been missed during previous rounds.
The Security Challenge
One of the most difficult aspects of Pakistan’s polio campaign is the security situation faced by vaccination teams.
Health workers often travel through areas where security conditions are difficult. Because vaccination campaigns involve door-to-door visits, workers can become exposed to risks while carrying out their duties.
On September 22, 2026, two police officers providing security to a polio vaccination team were killed by gunmen in Nushki district of Balochistan. The vaccination workers themselves were unharmed.
The incident highlights the risks faced by personnel involved in public-health campaigns.
Why Security Matters
Security is an important part of vaccination operations in areas where health workers may face threats.
Police and other security personnel can accompany vaccination teams to provide protection and help teams reach communities safely.
When security incidents occur, vaccination activities can become more difficult. Workers may face delays, communities may become harder to reach, and health authorities may need to change their plans.
The safety of health workers is therefore closely connected to the ability to maintain consistent vaccination coverage.
Public Trust and Awareness
Another major challenge is public confidence.
Vaccination programs depend on parents and communities allowing health workers to vaccinate children. Misinformation, rumors, fear, and misunderstandings can make this process more difficult.
Health authorities and community leaders therefore have an important role in explaining why vaccination is necessary and addressing concerns raised by parents.
Building trust is a long-term process. It requires communication, transparency, reliable healthcare services, and cooperation between government departments and local communities.
The Importance of Repeated Vaccination
A child may receive multiple doses of oral polio vaccine during different campaigns.
Repeated vaccination is part of the strategy used to strengthen immunity across communities and reduce the possibility of continued transmission.
This is particularly important in areas where children may miss routine vaccinations or where the virus continues to circulate.
The objective is not simply to vaccinate a certain number of children during one campaign. The larger goal is to interrupt transmission and eventually eliminate the virus.
Pakistan and Afghanistan
Pakistan’s polio situation is also connected to Afghanistan because the two countries share a long border and significant population movement.
People regularly travel between the two countries for trade, employment, family reasons, and other purposes.
This movement means that health authorities on both sides need strong vaccination and disease-surveillance systems.
Coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan can therefore play an important role in preventing the virus from crossing borders and continuing transmission.
The Role of Health Workers
Polio workers are at the center of the eradication campaign.
They travel through neighborhoods, villages, and remote communities to reach children who might otherwise have limited access to vaccination.
Their work requires extensive planning and coordination.
In addition to administering vaccines, health teams may collect information, identify children who have missed vaccination, communicate with parents, and support disease surveillance.
Their role is therefore much broader than simply delivering vaccine drops.
Why Eradication Has Been Difficult
Pakistan’s geography, population movement, security challenges, misinformation, and gaps in healthcare access have all made eradication difficult.
Some communities are located in remote mountainous areas where reaching households can take considerable time.
Other areas experience population movement that makes it difficult to maintain consistent vaccination records.
Security problems can also prevent teams from reaching certain communities safely.
These factors mean that eliminating polio requires continuous effort rather than occasional vaccination campaigns.
The Importance of Disease Surveillance
Vaccination is only one part of the eradication strategy.
Health authorities also need to monitor possible cases and test samples to determine whether poliovirus is circulating.
Environmental surveillance can also help identify the presence of the virus in sewage systems and other locations.
This information allows health officials to identify areas where additional vaccination efforts may be required.
Looking Ahead
Pakistan’s September vaccination campaign represents another major effort to protect children and move closer to the goal of eliminating polio.
The campaign’s success will depend on reaching as many children as possible, maintaining public confidence, protecting health workers, and continuing disease surveillance.
The recent attack on police officers protecting vaccination workers also demonstrates that public-health campaigns can face challenges far beyond medicine.
For Pakistan, eliminating polio will require continued cooperation between health workers, security personnel, government authorities, communities, parents, and international health organizations.
The goal is ultimately simple: ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow up protected from a preventable disease.
Pakistan’s fight against polio has continued for decades, and the latest campaign shows that the effort remains an important national and public-health priority.