ISLAMABAD: First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has appealed to parents, caregivers, public representatives, and community leaders to actively support Pakistan’s nationwide polio vaccination campaign, running from December 15 to 21, 2025.
In a statement issued by the President House, she stressed that the campaign’s success relies on collective responsibility, urging families to ensure that every child under five receives the polio vaccine.
The initiative aims to reach 45.4 million children nationwide, including 23.3 million in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.3 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 2.66 million in Balochistan, with remaining children covered in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad Capital Territory. The campaign is being coordinated with Afghanistan’s December polio drive to reduce cross-border virus transmission.
Recalling the legacy of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Aseefa Bhutto said Pakistan’s first nationwide polio campaign was launched under her mother’s leadership in 1994, and that her vision continues to guide current efforts to eliminate the disease. She shared a personal connection to the initiative, recalling her mother administering the first polio drops to her, an event that inspired her lifelong commitment to eradicating polio.
The campaign will primarily follow a three-day house-to-house vaccination schedule with one catch-up day. In high-risk areas where Community-Based Vaccination and Special Mobile Team strategies are applied, a five-day schedule with two catch-up days will be implemented.
Over 408,000 frontline polio workers, including Area Incharges, Union Council Medical Officers, and mobile, fixed, and transit teams, have been deployed nationwide.
Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari called on elected representatives, local officials, religious leaders, and community elders to support polio teams by facilitating access to households and countering misinformation or vaccine hesitancy.
She noted that national and provincial readiness meetings were conducted earlier this month, led by the Federal Minister for National Health Services and Chief Secretaries, to review logistics, security, workforce preparedness, and coordination.
The First Lady urged citizens to welcome vaccinators, report missed children, and assist frontline workers, emphasizing that only united action can stop polio and safeguard the future of Pakistan’s children.
