Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded a decline in polio vaccination refusal cases in 2025, but significant challenges remain as the province continues to report the highest number of polio cases in the country. Official figures show that KP accounted for 19 of the 30 polio cases reported nationwide this year.
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According to health authorities, the fifth and final polio campaign of 2025 targeted 6.48 million children in the province. During the drive, 100,742 children missed vaccination, representing around three per cent of the total target population.
Officials said that 82,393 children were not available at home when vaccination teams visited, while parents of 18,349 children refused to allow vaccinators to administer polio drops. Despite these gaps, authorities noted that the number of unvaccinated children declined by nearly 50 per cent compared to previous years.
Health officials credited the reduction to persistent efforts by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Emergency Operation Centre, which continued campaigns despite security threats. They stressed, however, that reaching zero refusals was essential to eliminate polio, as the virus has no cure and continues to pose a serious risk to unvaccinated children.
Authorities said vaccine refusal often stemmed from misconceptions, including beliefs that Islam prohibits preventive medication or that the vaccine causes infertility. Religious scholars and medical experts have repeatedly rejected these claims, emphasising that vaccination is both religiously permissible and medically safe.
Each vaccination campaign involves around 70,000 workers supported by nearly 50,000 police personnel. Despite these measures, violence against polio teams remains a major concern, with several police officers, health workers and civilians killed or injured during campaigns this year.
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Officials warned that Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio persists. They urged the government to address vaccine refusal through administrative measures to ensure universal coverage and prevent continued transmission of the virus in the province.