Pakistan Deploys Over 8,000 Police in Karachi to Protect Polio Teams

More than 8,000 police personnel have been deployed in Pakistan's port city of Karachi to secure health workers during a week-long anti-polio campaign running from November 2 to 8.

Nationwide Drive

The immunization drive has also started in other parts of Pakistan, including the Balochistan province where teams are working across 31 districts under strict security measures. This effort follows a recent confirmation by the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication about a new polio case reported from the Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi stated that protecting vaccination teams is a major priority due to past attacks during health drives. Authorities have placed extra police in sensitive areas and increased mobile patrols and snap checking.

Ongoing Challenges

Immunization programs in the country frequently face violence, resistance, and false claims that the drops cause infertility or impotence. In September, militants killed two policemen guarding a vaccination team in Balochistan's Nushki district. The provincial health department also recorded about 41,000 refusals from parents during the 2025 anti-polio campaigns in Karachi alone.

Context

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries globally where polio is still endemic. Eradication efforts continue to battle severe safety threats alongside vaccine hesitancy and false information within local communities.