Health
19.7 Million Children Vaccinated in Polio Campaign Across Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A week-long anti-polio campaign successfully vaccinated 19.7 million children under five from September 1 to 7, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
The campaign reached over 4 million children in Punjab, 8.7 million in Sindh, 2.2 million in Balochistan, and about 4 million in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In the federal capital, nearly 479,000 children received the polio drops, while 112,000 were vaccinated in Gilgit-Baltistan and 164,000 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The campaign follows recent environmental surveillance that detected wild poliovirus in sewage samples from Hyderabad, marking the sixth positive finding this year, as reported by the National Institute of Health (NIH).
NEOC officials praised parents, civil administrations, law enforcement, and health workers for their significant contributions to the campaign. They described the polio teams and security personnel as the “heroes of the nation.”
A follow-up vaccination drive is scheduled to begin on September 15 in South Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Bajaur, and Upper Dir, aiming to immunize 1.6 million more children.
District authorities have warned that densely populated areas remain at higher risk during the rainy season and urged that no child should be left unvaccinated.
Parents are encouraged to ensure every child under five receives the polio drops during each campaign. For more information, citizens can reach out to the 1166 helpline or send a WhatsApp message to 0346-7776546.
The NEOC operates under the Ministry of National Health Services, coordinating Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other global partners.
