In the autumn of 2020, a national coordinator of Pakistan's long struggle against polio voiced hope that the disease could be fully eradicated from the country within a year. The moment sits between a pandemic that had pulled resources and attention elsewhere and a 2019 resurgence that reminded everyone how fragile the gains remain. Where the work began in 1994, when tens of thousands of children were being disabled each year, the effort now rests on hundreds of thousands of workers moving through markets, bus stations, and villages to reach children under five. Whether the prediction proves t
Pakistan Official Predicts Full Polio Eradication by 2021 as 40 Million Children Targeted
In 2019 the virus resurged, affecting 147 children in Pakistan; polio also remains a paralyzing disease that can rarely cause death.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where the virus persists
Mark
Why does this announcement matter now?
Mimi
Because campaigns slowed during COVID-19. Safdar says resources were diverted, and now that cases are receding, the drive is back, aimed at 40 million children under five.
Luke
Worth noting the prediction is his, an official's expectation. The piece gives no data showing eradication is on track.
Mark
What's the scale of the operation?
Mimi
275,000 trained workers, plus 100,000 law enforcement troops assisting.
Mark
And the setback he acknowledged?
Mimi
2019, when the virus resurged and 147 children were affected. He said plans were made to plug the gaps, and a social media campaign was launched against fake news about vaccination.
Luke
We don't know what those gaps were in detail, or what results the plans have produced. He doesn't say.
Mark
How do they reach children outside schools?
Mimi
Union Council teams, plus teams at bus stops, train stations and markets.
Luke
Also, the claim that over one million children were protected is his figure, and it's unclear how it's counted. Treat it as attributed.
O Pulso
- A resurgence in 2019 left 147 children affected, unsettling years of progress.
- The pandemic diverted resources and forced campaigns to pause, creating a gap that had to be closed.
- A drive recruiting 275,000 workers, backed by 100,000 law enforcement troops, is racing to reach 40 million children under five.
- Officials are rebuilding public trust against fake news while sensitive surveillance hunts for any new cases.
- The country is aiming for full eradication by next year, but the outcome hinges on whether the resumed campaigns hold.
In the autumn of 2020, a national coordinator of Pakistan's long struggle against polio voiced hope that the disease could be fully eradicated from the country within a year. The moment sits between a pandemic that had pulled resources and attention elsewhere and a 2019 resurgence that reminded everyone how fragile the gains remain. Where the work began in 1994, when tens of thousands of children were being disabled each year, the effort now rests on hundreds of thousands of workers moving through markets, bus stations, and villages to reach children under five. Whether the prediction proves true depends on whether these renewed drives and their surveillance can hold steady.
Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, National Coordinator of Pakistan's Polio Eradication Initiative, told Radio Pakistan that he expects polio to be fully eradicated from the country by next year. He credited sustained work at both national and provincial levels, and the belief rests on a current drive now underway.
That drive has 275,000 trained polio workers and 100,000 troops from law enforcement agencies working to reach 40 million children under five with drops. It restarts a effort that COVID-19 had slowed, as resources were pulled toward the global emergency. With coronavirus cases receding, the campaigns have resumed.
Safdar also acknowledged the setback of 2019, when the virus resurged and 147 children were affected. Officials reviewed the causes and drew up plans to close the gaps, and a public campaign was launched to counter fake news about vaccines. Workers reach children who are out of school through local teams, stationed at bus stops, train stations and markets, often working through harsh weather and rough terrain.
The question now is whether the resumed campaigns and surveillance hold, and whether the prediction proves out.
Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, National Coordinator of Pakistan's Polio Eradication Initiative, told Radio Pakistan's News and Current Affairs Channel that he expects polio to be fully eradicated from the country by next year. He credited sustained work at both the national and provincial levels.
The immediate test is the current immunization drive. Safdar said 275,000 polio workers have been recruited and trained for it, with another 100,000 troops from law enforcement agencies assisting. The target is 40 million children under the age of five, each to receive polio drops.
The drive follows a stretch in which the pandemic got in the way. Safdar said COVID-19 reduced the frequency of polio campaigns because resources were diverted to the global emergency. With coronavirus cases receding in Pakistan, he said, the anti-polio work has started again.
He placed the effort in a longer history. Dedicated work against the disease began in Pakistan in 1994, when about 20,000 children a year were falling victim to it. Pakistan and Afghanistan, he noted, are the only two countries where the virus still persists.
Safdar also described how the disease works. Early symptoms are unspecific, he said, and only after some days do parents notice that a limb has stopped working. The virus enters through the mouth, most often via unhygienic food and water and in contaminated areas. It multiplies quickly in the intestines and then attacks the nervous system, typically the motor neurons, disabling a part of the body. In some cases it causes death. He said humans are the only life form it affects, because the intestines provide a suitable environment for it to multiply. He urged frequent handwashing and the use of masks, which he said protect against a number of diseases, polio among them.
The interview did not skip the setback. Safdar called 2019 a very challenging year, when the virus resurged and 147 children were affected. The federal government and provincial stakeholders reviewed the causes in detail and drew up plans to close the gaps. A social media campaign was also launched to educate the public and counter negative propaganda and fake news about vaccination.
He said a sensitive surveillance system is in place to detect cases so that a response can follow. He also credited the public's cooperation, saying successive campaigns have protected over one million vulnerable children from the virus.
Asked how children who are not in school are reached, Safdar said local stakeholders, including Union Council teams, are involved. Teams are also stationed at bus stops, train stations, markets and other gathering places to give drops to children under five. He praised the workers, saying they keep working with dedication in harsh weather and terrain.
What to watch is whether the resumed campaigns and surveillance hold, given the 2019 resurgence and the pandemic interruption, and whether next year's prediction proves out.
Citações Notáveis
Polio will be fully eradicated from Pakistan by next year, owing to dedicated national and provincial efforts.— Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, National Coordinator, Polio Eradication Initiative (paraphrased)
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