Key Points
- Over 43.3 million children vaccinated in five days of national polio drive
- Punjab leads with 22.9 million children immunised, Sindh follows with 10.2 million
- Campaign aims to reach over 45 million children under five nationwide
- South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa phase to begin on October 20
- NEOC urges parents to ensure every child receives life-saving drops
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s latest nationwide polio eradication drive has vaccinated over 43.3 million children under the age of five in its first five days, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said on Saturday.
The vaccination numbers marked, so far, a major step in the country’s ongoing fight to eliminate the crippling disease.
The NEOC stated that the campaign, launched earlier this week, aims to immunise more than 45 million children across all provinces and territories before its scheduled completion on October 19. It added that health workers have continued operations in both urban and remote areas despite logistical challenges, with “joint and sustained efforts” being made to stop poliovirus transmission.
In Punjab, which accounts for the country’s largest population share, health teams have successfully administered the oral polio vaccine to over 22.9 million children, according to NEOC figures. Provincial health officials said the campaign has achieved wide coverage in all 36 districts, including Lahore, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi, through door-to-door visits and mobile health units.
In Sindh, around 10.2 million children have been immunised so far. The province’s health department said vaccination drives in Karachi and other urban centres were supplemented by outreach teams deployed in high-risk areas to ensure no child was missed.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 6.1 million children have received the polio drops. The NEOC noted that the campaign in southern KP, including districts such as Tank and Dera Ismail Khan, will begin on October 20 due to operational sequencing and security coordination.
In Balochistan, over 2.55 million children have been covered in the initial phase of the campaign. Officials said that despite difficult terrain and sparse settlements, vaccinators continued to reach remote areas such as Awaran, Khuzdar, and Chagai under strict monitoring protocols.
The immunisation effort also extended to Pakistan’s northern and administrative regions. In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, more than 733,000 children were vaccinated, while in Gilgit-Baltistan, nearly 294,000 children received the vaccine, according to the NEOC. In the federal capital, Islamabad, around 443,000 children were also administered oral drops.
The NEOC underscored the importance of community participation for the campaign’s success. “Polio is a dangerous disease that can cause lifelong paralysis in children,” it said in a statement, urging parents and community leaders to welcome vaccination teams and ensure that every child under five is immunised.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where poliovirus is still endemic, alongside Afghanistan. Health experts say that sustained campaigns, strengthened surveillance, and community awareness are crucial to achieving the long-sought goal of a polio-free Pakistan.
