Polio cases surge in Pakistan ahead of vaccination campaign

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed at least 18 polio cases in neighbouring Afghanistan this year, most of them in the south of the country.

Pakistan is launching a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on 28 October to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five against paralytic polio.

Prior to the latest surge in infections, Pakistan – and its population of more than 240 million – was on the verge of eradicating the disease.

The country recorded only six cases in 2023, after 20 in 2022 and just one in 2021.

Health authorities say they face a number of challenges in convincing people to vaccinate their children.

Hardline clerics and militants have campaigned against vaccination, falsely claiming it is a Western conspiracy to sterilise Muslims. As a result, many communities avoid getting inoculated.

In recent years, several polio vaccinators and security officials who accompany them have come under attack by militants. At least 15 people, mostly police officers, have been killed and dozens injured this year during vaccination campaigns.

“Security concerns have, in the past, resulted in delayed or fragmented campaigns, leading to missed opportunities for immunisation and leaving children vulnerable,” Ms Corkum, the Unicef official said.