ISLAMABAD: A comprehensive five-day anti-polio vaccination campaign has commenced in selected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, following the detection of the virus in multiple locations.
The provincial polio programs have initiated vaccination campaigns in specific districts of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, aiming to vaccinate approximately four million children up to the age of five.
A Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) spokesperson stated that all necessary arrangements for the campaigns have been put in place by the respective provinces.
This “special” campaign will run from June 19 to June 23, targeting both provincial capitals, Karachi and Peshawar. The objective is to administer polio drops to over four million children under the age of five.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the campaign is organized into two levels. Seven districts will be fully covered, with authorities striving to reach over 2.2 million children by targeting all children under five years of age. These districts include Nowshera, Peshawar, Mohmand, Hangu, Khyber, Kohat, and Charsadda.
In eight additional districts, specific union councils situated along the Pak-Afghan border, as well as Afghan migrant camps, will be targeted. Approximately 107,000 children are expected to be reached in these districts, namely Buner, Chitral, Dir, Haripur, Mansehra, Malakand, Mardan, and Swabi.
The vaccination campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be executed by 8,441 fixed, mobile, and transit teams. In Sindh, the campaign will cover 119 union councils across nine districts, including Karachi, Hyderabad, and Jamshoro.
Authorities aim to vaccinate over 1,825,098 children throughout the five-day period.
