A week-long anti-polio campaign across the country began (today) with the target of immunizing about 44 million children as the number of cases of polio virus in Pakistan has risen to 63 this year.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif administered drops to children in Islamabad as he announced the launch of a polio eradication campaign on Sunday.
Addressing the opening ceremony, he expressed his determination to eliminate polio virus from Pakistan with the help of provincial governments and international partners.
According to the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Anti-Polio Ayesha Raza Farooq, about 400,000 polio workers in 143 districts of the country will visit every house to vaccinate children under the age of five.
He requested the parents to open their doors and fully cooperate with the polio teams in this campaign.
Kicking off the immunization drive in Sindh, the provincial health department on Monday said the seven-day anti-polio campaign will continue till December 22, during which around 16 million children will be vaccinated against polio.
The health department says 80,000 frontline workers will go door-to-door to administer the polio vaccine to children, while 15,000 security personnel will accompany them to protect them.
It said that out of 63 cases of polio in Pakistan this year, 17 were reported in Sindh.
“Parents are requested to vaccinate their children against polio. Repeated polio vaccination strengthens children’s immunity,” he said. The health department urged parents to contact helpline 1166 if a child misses vaccination.
He added, “Polio is still present in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Media, community leaders and religious scholars are therefore requested to support the campaign.”
On the other hand, the target of Bahawalpur district is to vaccinate more than 0.82 million children under five years of age with the help of 3,276 mobile teams, 195 fixed and 136 transit teams by December 20, District Health Authority official Dr. Amir Bashir said. said
The deputy commissioner of Vihari district said that they have set a target of immunizing more than 0.64 million children in five days with the help of 2,374 teams.
The Deputy Commissioner of North Waziristan said that while 609 teams will administer polio drops to more than 0.14 million children in North Waziristan and 2,023 police personnel will provide security to the campaign.
The DC of Gujarat said that teams comprising 5,169 personnel will administer polio drops to over 0.51 million children in Gujarat.
While launching the anti-polio campaign yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the parents to give their children anti-polio drops.
He welcomed global partners including Bill Gates for helping Pakistan in the fight against polio.
Poliovirus, a highly contagious viral disease, primarily affects children under the age of five, especially those with weakened immune systems or those with insufficient vaccination.
The disease attacks the nervous system and causes paralysis or death. Although there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this disability.
Pakistan is one of the two remaining polio countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, and until the recent spike in cases, the number of cases in the country had declined significantly on an annual basis.
The country’s intensive efforts to eradicate polio face significant challenges, especially in areas where insecurity, misinformation, and parental refusal impede vaccination campaigns.
With more than 60% of polio-infected children not routinely immunized in 2024, health officials have called for improved coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). A high-level committee was set up for
Balochistan is the most affected province during the recent surge in the spread of the disease with 26 cases so far this year.