• In 2023, Pakistan achieved an 86% national coverage rate for the third dose of the oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) and the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV). 

• However, a survey indicated stark provincial differences, with routine OPV coverage ranging from 45.1% in Balochistan to 94.9% in Punjab. 

• Provinces like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh struggled to reach 80% coverage.

• Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) conducted in 2023 involved three National Immunization Days (NIDs) and seven Subnational Immunization Days (SNIDs). 

• The SIAs were impacted by security challenges and community boycotts, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where over 700,000 children were missed.

• Poliovirus surveillance in Pakistan remains robust, with environmental sampling detecting wild poliovirus (WPV1) in various provinces, indicating its continued circulation. 

• Eight WPV1 cases were reported in 2024, compared to six in 2023. 

• Efforts to enhance vaccination and surveillance are ongoing despite logistical hurdles, aiming to curb polio transmission in high-risk areas.

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