PM orders nationwide consultations, new anti-polio strategy within a week

ISLAMABAD, Nov 5 (APP): With number of Pakistan’s polio cases reaching nine this year following a fresh case reported from Khyber district, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed the federal health authorities and anti-polio team to visit all four provinces and formulate a coordinated strategy for the disease’s eradication within a week.

Chairing a review meeting on polio eradication, the prime minister expressed concern over the recent cases and called for a renewed and more effective approach to tackle the challenge.

“Achieving a polio-free Pakistan is a major challenge, but our determination and resolve are far stronger than this challenge,” he said, stressing the need for close consultation and a joint strategy involving the provinces and all relevant stakeholders.

The prime minister directed the federal minister, minister of state, federal health secretary and members of the anti-polio team to immediately visit the four provinces and hold consultations with the respective chief ministers and chief secretaries.

He instructed the officials to develop a coordinated national action plan within one week after consultations with the provincial governments.

The prime minister also directed authorities to improve routine immunisation coverage across the country, particularly in polio-affected and high-risk areas.

Emphasising the importance of uninterrupted anti-polio operations, he said ensuring the security and continuous access of frontline workers during vaccination campaigns remained the government’s top priority.

PM Shehbaz appreciated the commitment and hard work of frontline polio workers and law enforcement agencies in ensuring the successful conduct of vaccination campaigns across the country. He also commended the improvement in access to security-sensitive and hard-to-reach areas.

According to the briefing presented at the meeting, a fresh polio case was reported from Khyber district on Thursday, taking the national tally to nine in 2026.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported seven cases this year, including three each in Khyber and Bannu districts and one in North Waziristan. The briefing noted that all cases reported from Khyber district were linked to the poliovirus originating from Afghanistan.

Sindh has reported two cases, one each from Karachi East and Sujawal districts.

The meeting was informed that cross-border movement from Afghanistan remained one of the major factors contributing to the spread of poliovirus in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Punjab has not reported a new polio case since February 2025, while Balochistan has remained free of new cases during 2025 and 2026. Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan also remain polio-free.

The briefing further highlighted a decline in poliovirus detection in environmental samples collected from Sindh this year.

Officials informed the meeting that all possible measures were being taken to strengthen the security of anti-polio teams and improve their access to southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for the Polio Eradication Programme Ayesha Raza Farooq and senior government officials attended the meeting.