ISLAMABAD: The first nationwide polio vaccination drive of the year 2024 continued in Pakistan on Thursday to protect children from paralytic Polio.
During the ongoing nationwide drive, over 44.3 million children under 5 years of age will be given oral polio drops during the five-day-long campaign, which will continue until 12 January.
Children in South Waziristan Upper and Lower, and Lakki Marwat will be vaccinated from January 15–19, while the drive will be held in Tank from January 15–21 and in DI Khan from January 22–28.
More than 400,000 vaccinators will bring the vaccine to children’s doorsteps. In Punjab, 22.6 million children will be inculcated, while 10.3 million children in Sindh, 7.5 million children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2.6 million children in Balochistan, 0.72 million children in AJK, 0.28 million children in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 0.42 million children in Islamabad.
Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, Dr Shahzad Baig, urged parents to open their doors to vaccinators so their children can receive this essential vaccine.
Polio a Devastating Disease
He said that Polio has no cure. It is a devastating disease that affects not just individual children but also changes the lives of the whole family.
He added that the polio vaccine offers protection from this disease and the chance for children to live up to their potential.
