WHO says Pakistan can interrupt wild poliovirus transmission

4 min read

A WHO-led international delegation visited Pakistan to review polio eradication efforts and urged intensified vaccination campaigns and surveillance over the next six to 12 months. Pakistan has recorded just three wild poliovirus cases in 2026, with transmission largely restricted to southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and has achieved a 99.8 percent reduction in cases over three decades. The mission, which included GPEI leaders and partners, met national officials and frontline vaccinators, noting Pakistan runs more than 12,500 acute flaccid paralysis reporting sites and 127 environmental surveillance sites. Coordinated action with Afghanistan was flagged as essential to stop cross-border transmission.

Pakistan has a genuine chance to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission.