The eradication of polio has been a major milestone in global vaccination efforts. This disease, which primarily affects children and can result in paralysis or death, is now only found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dr. Shahzad Baig, the national coordinator of Pakistan’s polio-eradication program, has played a pivotal role in the fight against this disease. Since taking on the role, the number of polio cases in Pakistan has significantly decreased, with only six children affected in 2023 compared to 147 in 2019. The ultimate goal is to eliminate polio completely by 2026.
However, the journey towards eradicating polio has not been without challenges. In 2011, leading up to the death of Osama bin Laden, the CIA conducted a fake door-to-door vaccination campaign in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where bin Laden was hiding, to gather DNA samples from his family. This led to increased suspicion and rumors that polio vaccinations were a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim girls. As a result, more than 200 polio vaccine workers were killed by Islamist extremists between 2012 and 2016.
Dr. Baig has stated that the days of extremists obstructing polio eradication efforts are over. Under his leadership, the Pakistani government has mobilized 400,000 vaccinators and 80,000 security personnel to vaccinate over 90 million children in 2023, with another 24 million slated for vaccination in the spring. Prior to his work in Pakistan
