PAKISTAN has recorded its highest-ever coverage of the DTP vaccine — protecting children against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis — with 87pc coverage achieved last year. This is an encouraging figure and represents a rebound from the disruption caused by Covid-19. Across South Asia too, record high levels of immunisation have been reached, with the UN noting a significant reduction in zero-dose children. If this progress is indeed accurate — since number fudging during inoculation campaigns has been a problem — Pakistan should celebrate the achievement. Unfortunately, even as the country improves on key child immunisation indicators, it remains stuck as one of only two countries where polio remains endemic. Worse, with Afghanistan steadily progressing, Pakistan may soon hold the shameful distinction of being the world’s only polio-prevalent country That prospect alone should propel the government into action. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has rightly shifted from coercive policing practices to engaging community influencers so that they, instead, may persuade hesitant families. But this shift must be accelerated and fully resourced, especially in areas such as Bannu and parts of Balochistan where resistance to the polio vaccine persists. The role of religious scholars — as some senators have urged — should be formalised within the campaign strategy to dispel myths and conspiracies that continue to fuel refusals. The success in DTP coverage shows that Pakistan’s health infrastructure can deliver, provided there is political will, sustained financing and smart partnerships. The same ingredients can, and must, be applied to the polio campaign before we stand isolated globally. If the state can mobilise to protect against pertussis, there is no excuse for failing to eliminate a disease that has been eradicated almost everywhere else. The health ministry must seize this window to ensure that the end of polio in Pakistan becomes a reality, and does not remain a mere aspiration. Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2025