Ongoing Security Risks and Displacement Undermine 2025 Immunization Efforts

The 2025 polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan’s merged districts was disrupted due to security concerns and population displacement, officials reported. Over 935,000 children under five were targeted for immunisation, but full coverage could not be achieved.

Thousands of families from North and South Waziristan, Bajaur, and other merged districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have relocated to different parts of the country, making monitoring and vaccination efforts more challenging.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 19 polio cases were recorded among children in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 2025. These included four cases each in North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, and Tank; one each in Dera Ismail Khan and Lower Kohistan; two in Torghar; and three in Bannu.

Officials noted that reduced staffing and operational levels for WHO and UNICEF programmes, along with cuts in WHO funding, affected campaign coverage in the merged districts. Health authorities warned that without coordinated vaccination during periods of displacement and resettlement, children in these areas remain at heightened risk.

In Sindh, more than 12,000 children under five were missed during the final polio campaign of 2025 in Hyderabad and surrounding areas. Most refusals were reported in Cantonment localities and municipal towns such as Hussainabad, Preetabad, Qasimabad, and Tando Jam, with absent households and parental refusals cited as major reasons.

Nationwide, the final anti-polio drive of 2025 successfully vaccinated over 44.6 million children. Punjab led with 22.9 million, followed by Sindh with 10.6 million, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with 7.15 million, and Balochistan with 2.58 million. Coverage in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir also contributed to the national tally. Officials said the challenges in the merged districts reflect localized disruptions in high-risk areas.