Week-long polio campaign begins in 79 high-risk districts today

ISLAMABAD: A week-long anti-polio campaign is set to begin on Monday in 79 selected high-risk districts across Pakistan, with more than 19 million children to be given polio drops during the drive.

According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), the campaign will continue until May 24 and will be carried out by more than 160,000 polio workers deployed across the country.

The NEOC said the vaccination effort will take place simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan as part of coordinated regional measures aimed at eliminating polio from the region.

The campaign will cover selected districts in all four provinces as well as the federal capital. In Punjab, around 6.19 million children are expected to be vaccinated in 10 selected districts. In Sindh, around 5.79 million children will receive polio drops in 20 selected districts.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the campaign targets around 4.61 million children in 23 selected districts, while in Balochistan around 1.99 million children will be administered polio drops in 25 selected districts.

In Islamabad, around 450,000 children will be covered during the drive, according to the NEOC.

Regional coordination

The NEOC said the campaign in Pakistan is being conducted in parallel with a similar effort in Afghanistan, reflecting a coordinated regional approach to polio eradication.

Officials have said the joint timing of the campaigns is part of broader efforts to stop transmission of the virus across the region.

Public urged to cooperate

The NEOC has appealed to the public to support the vaccination teams during the campaign and ensure that eligible children receive the drops.

The latest campaign is focused on districts identified as high risk, with authorities aiming to reach children through a large-scale mobilisation of frontline workers over the course of the week.

The drive is scheduled to run through May 24.