ISLAMABAD – On Monday, Pakistani authorities initiated their final nationwide anti-polio vaccination drive for the year, aiming to immunize 45 million children. This effort comes in response to the emergence of over 20 cases of this potentially crippling disease, officials have reported.

The World Health Organization highlights that, apart from Afghanistan, Pakistan is the only country where polio has yet to be eradicated.

Pakistan has recorded 30 polio cases since the beginning of the year, a decrease from the 74 cases reported in the same timeframe last year, according to the government-run Polio Eradication Initiative.

This marks the fifth nationwide vaccination campaign conducted by Pakistan this year, despite the ongoing security challenges the country faces.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has called on parents to support the vaccination teams. “This is not merely about numbers. Each case jeopardizes a child’s future and the overall safety of our communities,” Kamal stated, addressing the recent polio incidences.

According to the initiative’s statement, over 400,000 frontline health workers are engaged in a door-to-door campaign across regions including Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and the capital, Islamabad, to ensure that no child is overlooked.

Militants have repeatedly targeted vaccination workers and the police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming the campaigns are a Western plot to sterilize Muslim children.

Authorities have deployed thousands of police officers to protect vaccination teams following intelligence reports warning of possible militant attacks.

Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and police officers assigned to guard them have been killed in such attacks.

“The December polio campaign is synchronized with Afghanistan, ensuring both countries boost immunity together to interrupt cross-border transmission,” the statement said.

Officials said Pakistan has made significant progress in containing the virus.

“We are closer than ever to achieving eradication, and this campaign represents a vital final push to stop the virus everywhere it still circulates,” it said.