Key points
- 29 new polio cases reported this year
- Pakistan and Afghanistan remain polio-endemic countries
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday launched a week-long nationwide anti-polio campaign aimed at vaccinating more than 45 million children under the age of five, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said.
The initiative comes amid a resurgence of the Polio virus, with health officials confirming 29 new cases so far this year, according to the country’s polio eradication programme.
The vaccination drive will begin in 159 districts from October 13 to 19, while in the southern regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it will run from October 20 to 23. Over 400,000 trained health workers will go door to door to administer oral polio drops to children.
Additional doses of vitamin A
“During the campaign starting from 13 October, children will also receive additional doses of vitamin A to strengthen their immunity,” the NEOC said in a statement, urging parents to ensure that every child under five receives the polio vaccine.
Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under five during every campaign, along with the timely completion of routine immunisations.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic. Pakistan recorded 74 cases in 2024 — a sharp increase compared to six in 2023 and just one in 2021.
Efforts to eradicate the virus have been hindered by vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, and repeated militant attacks on health workers.
