ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched a targeted, week-long polio vaccination campaign across 79 high-risk districts, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) announced on Monday.
Running until May 24, the drive aims to administer oral polio vaccine drops to nearly 19 million children under five and is being carried out simultaneously with a coordinated campaign in Afghanistan as part of regional eradication efforts.
In Punjab, the campaign will reach about 6.19 million children across 10 districts, while Sindh will cover roughly 5.79 million children in 20 districts.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa plans to vaccinate about 4.61 million children in 23 districts, and Balochistan aims to reach approximately 1.99 million children in 25 districts. Around 450,000 children in Islamabad will also receive drops during the week.
The NEOC urged parents to cooperate with vaccination teams, provide access to vaccinators and ensure every eligible child receives the life-saving drops, stressing that protecting children from polio is a shared national responsibility.
Pakistan has made substantial progress since launching its eradication program in 1994, when more than 20,000 cases were reported annually.
Decades of sustained vaccination, improved surveillance, and coordinated public health action have dramatically reduced the burden of disease: 31 cases were recorded in 2025, and only three confirmed cases have been reported so far in 2026.
Health officials cautioned, however, that the virus still circulates silently in some areas, making continued vaccination essential. “While progress is encouraging, every missed child is an opportunity for the virus to persist and spread,” the NEOC said.
