ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday launched its second nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2026, aiming to immunise over 45 million children under the age of five as part of intensified efforts to eradicate the virus from the country.
The week-long drive, running from April 13 to 19, will see more than 400,000 frontline health workers conducting door-to-door visits across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad to ensure maximum coverage, including in remote and high-risk areas.
Health officials said Vitamin A supplements will also be administered during the campaign to strengthen children’s immunity, while the initiative is being synchronised with Afghanistan to curb cross-border transmission of the poliovirus.
Authorities highlighted notable progress in recent months, with poliovirus detected in 23 out of 87 districts so far in 2026, a significant decline from 82 districts in 2025. Similarly, positive environmental samples have dropped sharply from 651 last year to 40 this year, reflecting improved control measures.
Despite these gains, officials warned that challenges persist. Pakistan reported 31 polio cases in 2025, while one case has been confirmed in 2026 from Sujawal district in Sindh, underscoring the continued risk of transmission.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq said Pakistan was closer than ever to eliminating polio but cautioned that the current phase remained critical, emphasising that the disease has no cure and can only be prevented through vaccination.
The government has urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that every child under five receives polio drops during the ongoing campaign to help eliminate the virus once and for all.
