IMB Highlights Polio Challenges in Pakistan, Afghanistan: GPEI Welcomes Report

Islamabad, September 24, 2025 – The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has welcomed the latest findings of the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), which underline the pressing challenges in Pakistan and Afghanistan — the last two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic.

• According to GPEI, the IMB report rightly recognised the geopolitical shifts affecting global health programmes, warning that reduced donor support could complicate eradication efforts.
• The initiative confirmed that both Pakistan and Afghanistan have developed tailored strategies to address persistent risks, including vaccine hesitancy, hard-to-reach populations, and cross-border virus transmission.

GPEI stressed that community trust, strengthened monitoring, and closer coordination between Islamabad and Kabul are critical to containing outbreaks. It also highlighted integration of polio drives with other health services, with more than 40% of campaigns in 2024 delivering additional vaccines and supplements to boost immunity.

The programme reaffirmed its commitment to work with governments, Gavi, and local partners to strengthen routine immunisation and ensure no child is left vulnerable to polio.

The IMB’s recommendations, GPEI added, will serve as a roadmap to reinforce political commitment, accountability, and long-term resilience against the disease.

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