Pakistan kicked off a nationwide anti-polio campaign on Monday, aiming to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five as part of efforts to eliminate the crippling disease—one of the last remaining in the world.
Pakistan on Monday launched its third nationwide polio vaccination drive of the year, seeking to curb the spread of the virus that remains endemic in the country and neighboring Afghanistan.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal officially inaugurated the week-long campaign at a ceremony in the capital Islamabad, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.
More than 45 million children under five are expected to receive the polio vaccine during the drive, which comes amid rising concerns after the virus was detected in 50 districts across the country.
“This is a critical moment in our fight against polio,” Kamal said at the ceremony. “I urge all parents to ensure their children receive the vaccine and are protected from this life-altering disease.”
Thousands of security personnel have been deployed nationwide to protect vaccination teams, who have frequently come under attack—especially in remote and restive regions. Since December 2012, nearly 150 people involved in polio campaigns have been killed across the country, according to government data.
Militant groups, particularly in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have long targeted anti-polio efforts, spreading misinformation that the campaigns are part of a Western or anti-Muslim conspiracy. Many vaccinators, often women, have been threatened or killed while trying to administer doses to children.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where polio is still classified as endemic. In 2024, Pakistan reported 74 cases of polio. So far in 2025, 10 cases have been confirmed.
Despite significant progress over the past decade, health authorities stress that continued vaccination drives and public cooperation are essential to fully eradicate the disease.v
Azerbaijan and Armenia will sign a final peace agreement once Armenia amends its constitution to remove territorial claims against Azerbaijan, ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow wanted to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations as soon as possible, while insi...
The U.S. is preparing to deploy at least 9,000 additional troops to the Middle East, with Donald Trump weighing a resumption of military strikes ag...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to foment internal divisions in Iran after failing to defeat the country militarily, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel may participate in the investigation into a serious incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, while investigators examine the motive of the co-pilot involved.
Passengers restrained a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot and tried to crash a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
North Korea has dismissed as a “farce” Seoul’s claim that Pyongyang was responsible for a landmine explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line that injured three South Korean soldiers.
Swiss glaciers lost more than 5 per cent of their ice in 2026, making it one of their worst years on record as a dry winter and repeated heatwaves accelerated melting across the Alps.
Global cholera deaths reached their highest annual level in more than 20 years in 2025, despite a decline in reported cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chinese researchers have developed the world’s smallest CT scanner, a portable device designed to produce images of tiny fossils and archaeological relics.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 17 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the field of health.
Doctors in St. Louis have successfully separated Ethiopian two-year-old twin girls who were born joined at the head after a months-long series of complex operations culminating in a nearly 25-hour final procedure, doctors said on Wednesday.
Tobacco use may significantly reduce fertility in both men and women, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) publication that highlights growing evidence linking smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke with reproductive health problems.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment