Pakistan Launches Major Polio Vaccination Campaign to Immunize Over 24 Million Children

Islamabad, Pakistan has initiated a comprehensive vaccination campaign targeting over 24 million children under the age of five to combat poliovirus. Starting Monday, April 29, 2024, the campaign will span 91 districts across the country, including Islamabad, parts of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. Polio teams will conduct house-to-house visits to administer the oral polio vaccine.

According to Press Information Department, Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, emphasized the government’s commitment to protecting children from polio, a disease with no known cure and a persistent threat in the region. Recent detections of the poliovirus in various sewage samples across the country highlight the ongoing risk. Dr. Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, stated that this critical campaign targets districts with a high risk of the virus spreading, following the detection of poliovirus in over 31 districts this year. The campaign aims to ensure that all children in high-risk areas receive the vaccine to develop immunity against polio.