World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has reaffirmed the organisation’s unwavering commitment to making Pakistan polio-free, praising the country’s highest-level political resolve to eradicate the virus. The assurance came during a high-level meeting in Geneva between Dr Tedros and Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ms. Ayesha Raza Farooq. Ms. Farooq briefed the WHO chief on the progress of Pakistan’s polio programme and the strategic measures being taken under the personal patronage of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to overcome remaining operational hurdles. The discussions focused on a “final sprint” to eliminate the virus, with several key priorities identified for the 2026 roadmap, including maintaining intense pressure on the virus through large-scale, coordinated vaccination campaigns across both Pakistan and Afghanistan; accelerating synergies between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) to maximise public health gains; securing optimal global support to implement the national ‘Roadmap to Zero Polio’ in 2026 and ensuring real-time guidance from a robust Technical Advisory Group to address localised operational and Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) challenges. Ms Farooq extended her gratitude to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) for its consistent support. In response, Dr Tedros appreciated the Pakistan government’s commitment and assured the focal person of his continued advocacy with international donors and partners. The WHO director-general expressed confidence that with sustained efforts and global collaboration, Pakistan would reach the “finish line” and secure a polio-free future for its children very soon. Pakistan’s polio tally for 2025 has risen to 31 after laboratory testing this week confirmed a wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case from North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, health officials said on Tuesday. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, confirmed that samples collected in December from a four-month-old girl in Union Council Spinwam-2, North Waziristan, tested positive for WPV1. The child had developed symptoms in December, while the laboratory confirmation was made following testing completed this week. This is the fifth polio case reported from North Waziristan in 2025 and the 31st case nationwide.