Age Limit Increased for Polio Vaccination in Pakistan

The Ministry of Health has unveiled a revised strategy to combat polio, extending vaccination to children up to the age of 15. The expanded campaign will begin in November, with Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta identified as the first cities to benefit.

Broader Immunisation Drive

Captain (retd) Anwarul Haq, national coordinator for the Polio Eradication Program, explained that the move followed recommendations from the Technical Advisory Group on Polio. Until now, only children under five were routinely vaccinated, but the persistent detection of the virus in Karachi and Lahore prompted the shift in approach.

The upcoming campaign will target around four million children in Karachi and another 1.5 million in Lahore, making it one of the largest drives in recent years. In Quetta, an injection-based campaign will be rolled out to boost protection in high-risk communities.

Funding Challenges

The new strategy comes at a time when Pakistan’s anti-polio efforts are facing financial strain. International support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has declined by nearly 20%, with the United States scaling back its contributions. Around $250 million is spent annually on polio eradication in Pakistan, most of it financed by international donors, including USAID, UNICEF, WHO, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

With reduced funding, authorities have been forced to adjust. Starting next year, national campaigns will run for three days instead of five, and staffing at district and tehsil levels will be trimmed to manage costs.

Current Polio Situation

Pakistan has recorded 27 cases of polio so far in 2025. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains the worst-affected province with 18 cases, followed by Sindh with seven. Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan have reported one case each.

Health officials warned that shrinking resources and persistent transmission in key cities make it critical to adopt more focused strategies to meet the country’s goal of eradicating the virus.