ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has launched a week-long nationwide polio vaccination campaign beginning October 13, targeting more than 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts. The drive is being coordinated by the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
Efforts will also include the administration of a supplementary dose of Vitamin A to further boost immunity, officials say. In addition, the campaign in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been scheduled separately from October 20 to 23 to ensure comprehensive coverage in that region.
More than 400,000 frontline health workers, including 225,000 female vaccinators, have been mobilised for a door-to-door approach across provinces including Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab, KP, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Islamabad. The NEOC emphasised the critical role of timely completion of routine immunisations for children up to 15 months of age.
Health officials warned that vaccination coverage gaps persist, noting that in past drives over 830,000 children were missed. They urged parents to facilitate access for health teams and ensure that all eligible children receive the polio drops and stay up to date with the full immunisation schedule.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.