Polio eradication has been a global success story in terms of vaccination efforts. The disease, which mainly affects children and can result in paralysis or death, is now only circulating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dr. Shahzad Baig, the national coordinator of Pakistan’s polio-eradication program, has been working tirelessly on the front lines to eliminate the disease. Since he took on this role in 2021, the number of polio cases in Pakistan has dropped significantly, with only six children affected in 2023. The ultimate goal is to reach zero cases by 2026.
In 2011, leading up to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the CIA used a fake vaccination drive in Abbottabad, Pakistan to collect DNA samples from his family. This incident fuelled existing rumors that polio vaccinations were a Western plot to harm Muslim girls, resulting in the deaths of over 200 polio vaccine workers by extremist groups from 2012 to 2016. However, Dr. Baig has made it clear that the days of extremists targeting polio workers are over. The government has mobilized a large number of vaccinators and security personnel to vaccinate over 90 million children this year, with an additional 24 million to be vaccinated in a springtime campaign.
Prior to his work in Pakistan, Dr. Baig was involved in Nigeria’s successful polio eradication campaign, which led to the country being declared polio-free in 2020. He is determined to achieve similar success in Pakistan and is working towards eliminating the disease from the country. With his leadership and determination, Pakistan aims to be the next country to eliminate polio completely.