ISLAMABAD — Pakistan reported over 60,000 cases of polio vaccine refusal during the nationwide anti-polio campaign conducted between April 21 and April 27, 2025, citing official sources.
During the country’s second polio eradication drive of the year, a total of 60,906 refusals were recorded, posing a serious challenge to national public health efforts.
Sindh emerged as the most affected region, logging 39,073 refusals, with Karachi alone accounting for more than 37,000 cases.
In Balochistan, health teams encountered over 3,500 refusal cases, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported a 0.4% vaccine refusal rate. Incidents of parental refusal were also recorded in Punjab and Islamabad.
Health authorities are increasingly concerned about vaccine hesitancy, which continues to undermine Pakistan’s progress toward eradicating polio. The recent refusal statistics come amid the confirmation of another polio case — bringing the national tally to 13 cases in 2025.
The latest case was verified by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and emerged from Ama Khel Union Council in the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Polio is a crippling and incurable disease, but it can be prevented through multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) and complete immunization of children under the age of five.
To fight this deadly virus, the Pakistan Polio Program conducts several mass immunization drives each year, delivering vaccines directly to homes. In parallel, the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) provides free vaccinations against 12 preventable childhood diseases at public health facilities.
Officials continue to urge parents across the country to ensure that every child under five receives all recommended polio vaccinations to prevent paralysis and stop the virus from spreading.
