Pakistan completed its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2026 by February 8, administering polio drops to more than 44.3 million children. However, approximately 1 million children missed the vaccination. There were also 53,000 refusals. Karachi accounted for 58 percent of these refusals, making it the city with the largest share. The campaign ended on February 5 in most cities but continued till February 8 in Sindh. Overall, household coverage was 98 percent, but the 2 percent missed children translate to a worrisome number given Pakistan’s large population. Out of the 950,000 children missed, 670,000 were absent from home during vaccination. However, 2.5 million guest children were vaccinated, partly covering those missed. Security issues, community boycotts, and snow-blocked areas left 233,000 children unreached, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan. In Balochistan, campaigns were postponed in Mastung, Gwadar, Chagai, and Awaran due to security concerns. Refusals totaled 0.14 percent of targeted children, with 31,000 from Karachi alone. The National Emergency Operation Center (EOC) thanked all stakeholders for their cooperation. Vaccination numbers by region included 22.9 million in Punjab, 10.5 million in Sindh, 7.13 million in KP, 2.36 million in Balochistan, and hundreds of thousands in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and AJK. The campaign was coordinated at the same time with Afghanistan, signaling improved cross-border efforts to stop polio’s spread. Pakistan Polio Programme Head Anwarul Haq said, “Punjab is negative, Peshawar is negative, and Balochistan is also negative” for poliovirus, but more focus is needed in Sindh and south KP. Polio cases dropped from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025. Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, Ayesha Raza Farooq, said an independent assessment is ongoing and results will be shared soon. The Government of Pakistan is committed to making the country polio-free through vaccination, community work, and regional cooperation.