ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s weeklong Sub-National Polio Vaccination Campaign has concluded successfully, with more than 29.3 million children under the age of five vaccinated across 113 selected high-risk districts, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) said.
The campaign, conducted from September 21 to 27, was the fourth polio vaccination drive of 2026 and the second sub-national campaign of the year. It covered selected high-risk districts in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), Pakistan has reduced paralytic polio cases by 99.8 percent, from an estimated 20,000 cases in the early 1990s to 31 cases in 2025 and six cases reported so far in 2026.
Four of the six polio cases reported this year are from southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security-related access constraints have resulted in some children missing critical vaccination.
More than 273,000 frontline polio workers, including male and female vaccinators, participated in the campaign and carried out door-to-door vaccination activities.
Preliminary data showed that more than 9.07 million children were vaccinated in 11 districts of Punjab, over 10.14 million in 30 districts of Sindh, more than 7.21 million in 37 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and over 2.32 million in 32 districts of Balochistan. More than 443,000 children were vaccinated in Islamabad and over 140,000 in two districts of Gilgit-Baltistan.
The campaign in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts of Punjab was deferred due to the deployment of security personnel for other essential duties. The National EOC said vaccination activities would be conducted in the two districts at a later stage to reach all eligible children.
According to campaign data, coverage reached 100 percent of the target across the 113 covered districts. Of the children initially missed because of unavailability, refusal or other reasons, follow-up and revisit activities succeeded in reaching 86 percent. Overall, 627,776 children, representing 2.1 percent of the campaign target, remained missed.
The campaign was conducted simultaneously with Afghanistan as part of coordinated efforts to strengthen population immunity and minimise the risk of cross-border poliovirus transmission.
The National EOC appreciated the efforts of more than 273,000 frontline workers and acknowledged the support of parents, communities, health departments, provincial and district administrations, law-enforcement agencies, partner organisations and the media.
Parents and caregivers were urged to ensure that every child under five receives two drops of oral polio vaccine during every campaign, regardless of the number of previous doses, and completes all vaccines included in the routine immunisation schedule.
For vaccination-related information or assistance, citizens can contact the Sehat Tahaffuz Helpline at 1166 or the Polio WhatsApp Helpline at 0346-7776546.
