ISLAMABAD: More than 22.1 million children have been vaccinated against polio during the first four days of Pakistan’s ongoing sub-national immunisation campaign, which entered its fifth day across 97 selected districts on Friday, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (National EOC).
The campaign, which began on November 2 and will continue uninterrupted until November 8, aims to vaccinate approximately 24 million children under the age of five against poliovirus.
According to the National EOC, more than 200,000 frontline polio workers are participating in the vaccination drive, which is being conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan to strengthen cross-border efforts to interrupt poliovirus transmission.
Provincial vaccination figures released by the National EOC indicate that approximately 8.535 million children have received polio drops in 13 selected districts of Punjab, while more than 6.382 million children have been vaccinated in 20 districts of Sindh.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 4.429 million children have been vaccinated across 27 selected districts, while over 2.008 million children have received polio drops in 31 districts of Balochistan.
Meanwhile, more than 450,000 children have been vaccinated in Islamabad, approximately 160,000 in three selected districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, and around 192,000 in two selected districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The National EOC warned that the threat of poliovirus continues to persist across Pakistan, making sustained vaccination efforts essential to protecting children from lifelong disability.
Health authorities reiterated that polio has no cure and vaccination remains the most effective means of preventing the disease.
Parents have been urged to cooperate fully with vaccination teams and ensure that every child under five years of age receives polio drops during the ongoing campaign, regardless of previous vaccination status.
The National EOC also emphasised the importance of completing children's routine immunisation schedules on time to protect them against other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Authorities stressed that community participation and parental cooperation are critical to reaching missed children and achieving Pakistan's goal of polio eradication.
Parents seeking assistance or wishing to contact a polio vaccination team can call the national polio helpline at 1166 or send a WhatsApp message to 03467776546, the National EOC said.
