Two polio teams faced attacks in Lahore, Pakistan, as parents refused polio drops for their children. In Harbanspura, suspects prevented the team from vaccinating and assaulted health workers. Police intervened after a helpline call as the suspects also attacked them.
In a similar incident, Shahdara police filed a case against parents for harassing female polio workers. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries with endemic Wild Poliovirus. Attacks on polio workers are common, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
During a polio campaign in 2026, around a million children were not vaccinated in Pakistan, with 53,000 refusals. Karachi had the highest refusal rate at 58%. Despite reaching 98% household coverage, a significant number of children missed vaccination, indicating a challenge due to Pakistan’s population size.
Security issues, community boycotts, and inaccessible areas left 0.95 million children unvaccinated during the 2026 campaign. Notably, 233,000 children were unvaccinated due to various constraints, with a significant number from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and snow-bound regions like PoJK and PoGB. Refusals were reported, with Karachi having the largest share.
The polio campaign faced postponements in certain Balochistan areas due to security concerns. Refusals accounted for 0.14% of the targeted children, with Karachi having 31,000 refusals. Vaccination data showed significant coverage in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, as well as in Islamabad, PoGB, and PoJK.
