New Delhi: Pakistan’s efforts to eradicate polio continue to face setbacks as deep-rooted weaknesses in the country’s healthcare system, rather than vaccination access alone, remain a key obstacle to eliminating the disease, according to a report.
As per analysis by Dawn, Pakistan recorded its ninth polio case of 2026 and seventh in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, involving a seven-month-old child in Khyber district.
This underscores the persistence of a disease that remains endemic despite decades of eradication efforts.
Pakistan has built one of the world’s largest polio programmes, backed by billions of dollars in international funding and a workforce of more than 400,000 vaccinators, yet has failed to convert campaign success into lasting public confidence in health institutions.
“The obstacles usually cited are real: insecurity, population movement, and difficult terrain keep some children from being vaccinated, while refusals, misinformation, and religious misconceptions keep others from being vaccinated,” according to Dawn.
It further noted that these factors do not fully explain the virus’s continued circulation in areas repeatedly reached by vaccination teams. Instead, a lack of trust in government services and public institutions has become a central challenge.
Many communities encounter state services primarily through polio campaigns, while continuing to face shortages of routine immunisation, maternal healthcare, clean water and functioning medical facilities.
“Pakistan’s polio programme has acknowledged that communities are using demand-based boycotts as a bargaining chip to draw attention to their problems,” Dawn said.
In southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, residents have increasingly used boycotts of vaccination drives to press authorities for improvements in electricity, roads, sanitation and other basic services.
Dawn also highlighted operational shortcomings, including a shortage of female vaccinators, frequent turnover among campaign workers and inadequate community engagement.
It also said that repeated vaccination visits can reinforce perceptions that authorities prioritise disease campaigns over broader public welfare.
–IANS
