From 13 to 19 April 2026, a nationwide vaccination campaign in Pakistan reached 44.8 million children. Simultaneously, Afghanistan launched its first nationwide campaign of 2026, reaching 12.8 million children under 5. Vitamin A was co-administered to children between 6–59 months in both countries. The synchronized effort reflects a simple but powerful reality. Poliovirus does not stop at borders, and neither can the response.

Despite ongoing geopolitical stresses, both countries have continued to support technical coordination through long-standing cross-border mechanisms. This collaboration is essential in the 2 remaining endemic countries for wild poliovirus globally. Afghanistan and Pakistan form a single epidemiological bloc where transmission on one side of the border directly affects the other. By aligning campaign timing and strategies, the 2 programmes are working to stop transmission on both sides of the border – protecting communities that are among the most vulnerable and hardest to reach.

In the early 1990s, Pakistan and Afghanistan experienced a high burden of polio, with Pakistan reporting an estimated 20 000 cases annually and Afghanistan approximately 2000. Due to intensified eradication efforts since 1994 under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan have decreased dramatically. As of May 2026, six  cases have been reported across both countries.