Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the Pakistani government’s commitment to eradicating polio from the country. During a review meeting on polio eradication in Islamabad, he emphasized the importance of continued efforts to achieve a polio-free Pakistan.
According to Radio Pakistan, the meeting highlighted significant progress, noting that only one polio case has been reported in 2026 from District Sujawal in Sindh. This is a marked improvement from 74 cases in 2024 and 31 in 2025. No polio cases have been reported this year from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, or Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials at the meeting reported a decrease in the number of affected districts, from 67 in early 2025 to 23 in 2026. Nationwide campaign coverage has remained at 98 percent. Additionally, a strategy is being developed to integrate the Expanded Program on Immunization with the Polio Eradication Initiative at both federal and provincial levels. Efforts are also underway to link the initiatives of the Benazir Income Support Programme with polio eradication efforts.