Crippled by resistance, dream of polio-free Pakistan teeters on tightrope

Pakistan is currently grappling with a growing polio crisis. This year, so far, there have been 56 confirmed cases of the wild poliovirus (WPV), according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) — an alarming jump from the six cases reported the previous year. As the number of infected children grows, health authorities and global organisations are sounding the alarm, calling for urgent action.

One major reason contributing to this sudden uptick in cases identified by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is the forced repatriation of Afghan refugees, which has led to widespread displacement across Pakistan. This movement of people hampers vaccination efforts by disrupting established health services and causing children to miss immunisation campaigns.

Wild poliovirus (WPV type 1) continues to be endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the only two countries where WPV transmission never stopped.

Afghanistan has reported 23 cases of the viral infection in 2024. Compounding the issue, in September the Taliban government in Afghanistan suspended door-to-door vaccination campaigns, citing security concerns. The decision has left many children vulnerable, not just in Afghanistan but also in Pakistan, because of the high volume and frequency of cross-border travel between the two countries.

“Afghanistan is the only neighbour from where Afghan people in large numbers come to Pakistan and then go back,” Anwarul Haq, the coordinator at the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication, told the Associated Press in September.