Federal Minister for Health, Syed Mustafa Kamal, held a press conference at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to officially inaugurate the third National Polio Campaign of 2025. Addressing the media, the Minister emphasized the critical importance of vaccinating children against polio and highlighted the government's unwavering commitment to eradicating this debilitating disease.
The nationwide campaign has commenced today, targeting approximately 45.4 million children under the age of five. This year, Pakistan and Afghanistan are conducting simultaneous polio campaigns—an unprecedented joint effort—while the rest of the world has already eliminated the disease.
Minister Mustafa Kamal administered polio drops and provided additional vitamin A supplements to children, paying tribute to the frontline polio workers who are the true heroes of this campaign. He acknowledged their dedicated services and called upon parents across the country to fully cooperate by ensuring their children receive the vaccine.
The Minister urged all parents with folded hands to understand that vaccination is essential for their children's health and future. He stressed that polio remains an incurable disease, unlike cancer, which can be treated, and that only through vaccination can children be protected from lifelong disability.
Highlighting surveillance data, the Minister disclosed that out of Pakistan's 89 districts, 50 have reported the presence of poliovirus in environmental samples. He warned that this enemy virus is present everywhere around children and appealed to communities to dispel misinformation and negative notions that hinder immunization efforts.
“Polio eradication is one of the foremost priorities of the Government of Pakistan,” Syed Mustafa Kamal affirmed. “If a child becomes disabled due to polio, parents will bear responsibility before God. We must unite as a nation, just as we stood firm against India, to defeat polio.”
Encouraging community participation, the Minister noted encouraging outcomes from recent campaigns in Karachi, where there was a significant reduction in refusals to administer polio drops. He called upon every citizen to join hands in this vital public health mission to secure a safe and healthy future for the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
