World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has reaffirmed the organisation’s unwavering commitment to making Pakistan polio-free, praising the country’s highest-level political resolve to eradicate the virus.
The assurance came during a high-level meeting in Geneva between Dr Tedros and the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ms Ayesha Raza Farooq.
Ms Farooq briefed the WHO chief on the progress of Pakistan’s polio programme and the strategic measures being taken under the personal patronage of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to overcome remaining operational hurdles.
The discussions focused on a “final sprint” to eliminate the virus, with several key priorities identified for the 2026 roadmap, including maintaining intense pressure on the virus through large-scale, coordinated vaccination campaigns across both Pakistan and Afghanistan; accelerating synergies between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) to maximise public health gains; securing optimal global support to implement the national ‘Roadmap to Zero Polio’ in 2026 and ensuring real-time guidance from a robust Technical Advisory Group to address localised operational and Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) challenges.
Ms Farooq extended her gratitude to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) for its consistent support.
In response, Dr Tedros appreciated the Pakistan government’s commitment and assured the focal person of his continued advocacy with international donors and partners.
The WHO director-general expressed confidence that with sustained efforts and global collaboration, Pakistan would reach the “finish line” and secure a polio-free future for its children very soon.
The development comes a couple of days after Pakistan’s polio tally for 2025 rose to 31 after laboratory testing confirmed a wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case from North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, on Tuesday confirmed that samples collected in December last year from a four-month-old girl in Union Council Spinwam-2, North Waziristan, tested positive for WPV1. The child had developed symptoms in December, while the laboratory confirmation was made following testing completed earlier this week.
This was the fifth polio case reported from North Waziristan in 2025 and the 31st case nationwide.
Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. Health officials stress that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) during every campaign, along with timely completion of routine immunisation, remain the only effective protection for children under the age of five.
Under the National Task Force-endorsed 2025–26 roadmap, Pakistan will continue nationwide and targeted vaccination campaigns while strengthening routine immunisation services. In line with this plan, the first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2026 will be conducted from February 2 to 8, aiming to vaccinate more than 45 million children under five across the country, including high-risk areas of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Authorities have urged parents and caregivers to ensure their children are vaccinated in every campaign, emphasising that community cooperation, responsible media engagement and countering misinformation are essential to achieving a polio-free Pakistan.
