Every Missed Child is a Risk to All

Starting May 26, 2025, Pakistan will launch its third nationwide polio vaccination
campaign of the year, an urgent effort to protect millions of children from a disease that
still threatens lives across the country. With the poliovirus continuing to circulate in high-
risk areas, this campaign comes at a critical moment for Pakistan’s polio eradication
initiative.

Despite decades of progress, every missed child remains a potential source of
transmission, putting entire communities at risk. In places where population density is
high or immunity levels are low, just one unvaccinated child can allow the virus to
spread silently, undoing hard-won gains and endangering others.

This is why repeated vaccination in every campaign is non-negotiable. Each
additional dose of the oral polio vaccine boosts immunity, especially in children under
five. In environments where the virus is still active, multiple doses are the only way to
ensure full protection. Polio has no cure, only prevention through timely vaccination can
stop its spread.

Over 400,000 dedicated frontline workers, including thousands serving in hard-to-reach
areas like South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, will be
mobilized once again to go door to door, ensuring no child is left behind. Their work is
vital, but the campaign  success depends equally on parents and caregivers.
Parents play a frontline role in this fight. Their decision to open the door to
vaccinators, allow repeated doses, and encourage others to participate directly protects
their own children and every child around them. In today’s interconnected communities,
no child is safe until all children are safe.

With Pakistan’s youthful population, where the majority of caregivers are under 30,
young parents must recognize their responsibility and power. By saying “yes” to
polio vaccination in every campaign, they become defenders of their children’s health
and champions of a polio-free future.

As the May 26 campaign approaches, health authorities are calling on families across
Pakistan to participate fully. No child should be missing. No door should remain
closed. No campaign should be carried out lightly because every single dose matters,
and every child counts.

Let us act before the virus does. Together, we can protect our children, our
communities, and our future. Because when even one child is left unvaccinated, all
children remain at risk but when every child is reached, a polio-free Pakistan becomes
a reality within our grasp.
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By Anum Essa, Health Communications Professional