Islamabad, Feb 9 (NationPress) Approximately one million children were not vaccinated, with 53,000 refusals recorded during the inaugural polio campaign in Pakistan for 2026, according to local media reports on Monday. The highest percentage of refusals, which accounted for 58 percent, was seen in Karachi.

During this campaign, polio drops were administered to over 44.3 million children across Pakistan. Reports highlighted that the campaign achieved a household coverage rate of 98 percent, with only two percent of children missing out, as stated by Pakistan's prominent daily, Dawn. Nevertheless, the number of children who did not receive polio drops remains significant considering the country's population.

Overall, 0.95 million children were reported as missed throughout the polio campaign organized in Pakistan in 2026. Of these, a considerable number (approximately 0.67 million) did not receive the polio vaccination because they were not present at home. During the campaign, polio drops were successfully given to 2.5 million guest children, likely including many who were absent at the time of vaccination.

An official noted that 233,000 children were classified as leftovers due to issues such as security concerns, community boycotts, and inaccessible areas due to snow. This total comprised 184,000 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and around 50,000 children who remained unreachable in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB) due to snow and lack of campaign execution.

The official added that the polio eradication campaign was postponed in the districts of Mastung, Gwadar, Chagai, and Awaran in Balochistan due to security issues, as reported by Dawn. A total of 0.14% of the targeted children were recorded as refusals, with 31,000 refusals from Karachi, constituting the largest share.

According to reports, polio drops were provided to over 22.9 million children in Punjab, more than 10.5 million children in Sindh, over 7.13 million children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and more than 2.3 million children in Balochistan.

In the course of the polio campaign, over 455,000 children received vaccinations in Islamabad, around 261,000 in PoGB, and more than 673,000 in PoJK.

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries globally where the Wild Poliovirus continues to be endemic. Polio workers in Pakistan frequently encounter violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

In October, a police constable, assigned to secure the polio vaccination team, was tragically shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Kaahi area of Nizampur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The constable was identified as Maqsood, aged 35, from Kheshgi.

The police spokesperson revealed that the attack occurred while female health workers were administering polio drops to children inside a residence, as reported by another leading Pakistani daily, The Express Tribune. The attackers fled the scene following the assault.