ISLAMABAD: Pakistan vaccinated at least 19.7 million children under the age of five during a week-long nationwide anti-polio campaign conducted from September 1 to 7, the country’s National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) stated.
The campaign covered over 4 million children in Punjab, 8.7 million in Sindh, 2.2 million in Balochistan, and another 4 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In the federal territories, nearly 479,000 children were vaccinated in Islamabad, 112,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 164,000 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable virus that can cause permanent paralysis. It can only be prevented through repeated oral vaccinations and routine immunisation.
Pakistan remains one of the last two polio-endemic countries in the world, with efforts focused on eradicating the virus through widespread vaccination campaigns.
In 2024, Pakistan recorded 74 cases— a significant increase from six in 2023 and just one in 2021— highlighting the ongoing challenge of eradication,
Earlier, Environmental surveillance had found wild poliovirus in sewage samples from Hyderabad, making it the sixth positive detection this year, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The EOC said parents, civil administrations, law enforcement agencies, and health workers played a key role in the campaign’s success, adding that polio teams and security personnel were the “heroes of the nation.”
The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) announced that a follow-up anti-polio campaign will begin on September 15 in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Bajaur, and Upper Dir, aiming to vaccinate 1.6 million children.
Local authorities have warned that densely populated areas are at greater risk of disease spread during the ongoing rainy season, emphasising the critical need to ensure that no child is left unvaccinated.
Parents are strongly urged to ensure that every child under the age of five receives polio drops during each round of the campaign. For assistance or more information, citizens can call the 1166 helpline or send a WhatsApp message to 0346-7776546.
The EOC, operating under the Ministry of National Health Services, coordinates Pakistan’s polio eradication programme with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and global partners.
