Pakistan delegation briefs Independent Monitoring Board in Geneva on intensified efforts to seize opportunity to end polio

Islamabad, July 27, 2026 – A high-level delegation from Pakistan, led by senior government officials, met with the polio Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) this week in Geneva. The delegation reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to polio eradication and shared the recent progress and strategies being implemented to seize the opportunity to end the global and regional public health threat of polio.

The Independent Monitoring Board, an impartial assessment and oversight body established by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, met in Geneva from July 20 to 23 to review global polio eradication efforts, with a particular focus on the last two remaining polio-endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Since 1994, thanks to medical science and life-saving vaccines, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8% — from an estimated 20,000 cases in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025, and 3 so far in 2026.

The delegation from Pakistan included State Minister of Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq, Chief Secretary Balochistan Shakeel Qadir Khan, Chief Secretary KP Shahab Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman, Chief Secretary Sindh Asif Hyder Shah, the Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication Muhammad Anwarul Haq, Coordinator EOC Sindh Shehryar Memon and senior leadership from the polio programme.  

Speaking during a dedicated session for Pakistan, State Minister Dr Bharath said Pakistan fully understands its responsibility to interrupt transmission and advance the shared goal of eradicating polio.

“Over the past year, virus transmission has declined significantly — a result of strong government leadership, sharper use of data, stronger accountability, improved campaign quality, and the extraordinary commitment of frontline workers reaching every child in increasingly difficult circumstances. This progress is encouraging, but we remain realistic about the challenges ahead and determined to overcome them,” he said.

The minister highlighted full government ownership and oversight of all polio eradication operations and emphasized that the Ministry of Health will continue to lead efforts to address all remaining challenges, including strengthening essential immunization and health service delivery, particularly in underserved communities. 

“Polio eradication in Pakistan is no longer the mandate of one programme alone. It is a whole-of-government mission, led by the Prime Minister and carried through every tier of government, with direct engagement to ensure each campaign is delivered with quality, consistency and accountability,” he said.

Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq highlighted Pakistan’s progress in shrinking virus transmission patterns and reducing polio cases by more than 50% — from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025, and 3 so far this year. She underlined the positive impact of evidence-based and data driven strategies, consistent high-quality vaccination campaigns, collaboration with the Expanded Programme on Immunization, improved community engagement and strong disease surveillance.  

Speaking about the complex security situation in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which hampers consistent access to children, she presented a dedicated strategy to vaccinate unreached children through smaller, targeted efforts by local teams, enhanced tracking of missed children and repeated vaccination while also strengthening delivery of health services focused on nutrition, essential immunization, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and maternal and child health.

“The poliovirus footprint is narrowing, but it is now concentrated in the most difficult geographies, particularly southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where insecurity continues to keep thousands of children beyond the reach of vaccinators. We will strike the virus with urgency and precision through targeted, interventions that are driven by data and focused on reaching every missed child through localized approaches that deliver essential vaccinations and health services,” she said.

The PM’s Focal Person further said: “Science is telling us that ending polio is within reach. Pakistan has shown it can confront complex challenges with determination, discipline and evidence. In this last mile, with sustained government leadership — especially from Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries — an intensified response and continued collaboration, I am confident we will interrupt transmission.”

The IMB is an impartial, independent body of global health experts that provides assessment and oversight of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s efforts to end polio globally. It meets governments from polio-endemic and other polio high-risk countries every year to review data and progress. Following each meeting, the Board issues a report later in the year with recommendations to improve strategies and complete the last mile to end polio.