Health teams will vaccinate children in 97 districts from 2 to 8 November as Pakistan confronts six wild polio cases this year and persistent resistance to immunisation.
Pakistan will begin a week-long polio vaccination campaign on 2 November, with health teams set to reach children in 97 selected districts as the country steps up efforts to stop transmission of the disease, the National Emergency Operations Centre said on Monday.
The drive is expected to target more than 23.9 million children and will run until 8 November. According to the centre, about 9.278 million children are due to be vaccinated in 13 districts of Punjab, 6.883 million in 20 districts of Sindh, 4.808 million in 27 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2.217 million in 31 districts of Balochistan. In Islamabad, the campaign is expected to reach more than 447,000 children, while over 153,000 children are set to be immunised in three districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and more than 183,000 in two districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Polio remains a serious public-health threat because it is highly contagious, cannot be cured and can leave children paralysed for life. It can also be fatal. Pakistan has reported six cases of wild poliovirus type 1 this year so far, including four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, underscoring the persistence of the virus despite repeated vaccination efforts.
The latest campaign follows a series of nationwide and targeted drives in recent years as Islamabad tries to eliminate the disease. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where polio is still endemic. Last month, Pakistan carried out a nationwide vaccination campaign that reached 29.3 million children, while earlier government-led drives in 2023 and 2024 also aimed to immunise tens of millions of children under five.
Officials continue to face long-standing obstacles, including misinformation, parental refusals and militant attacks on vaccinators and the security personnel assigned to protect them. In a statement, the National Emergency Operations Centre said: “Providing children with a polio-free future is our shared national responsibility.” The centre added: “To ensure the complete eradication of polio, parents must extend full cooperation to polio teams.” Government data show Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8% from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 last year.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
