Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has successfully concluded its first nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2026, with more than 44.3 million children administered polio drops across the country, the National Emergency Operations Center (EOC) said on Monday.&nbsp;According to official data, Punjab recorded the highest coverage, with over&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-launches-2026-polio-campaign-for-45-million-children" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">22.9 million children vaccinated</a>, followed by Sindh, where more than 10.5 million children received polio drops.&nbsp;In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 7.13 million children were vaccinated, while in Balochistan, more than 2.36 million children were immunised.&nbsp;The campaign also covered smaller regions, with over 455,000 children vaccinated in Islamabad, around 261,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and more than 673,000 children in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.&nbsp;Health authorities said the campaign was synchronized to be conducted in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, reflecting coordinated cross-border efforts to curb the transmission of the poliovirus.&nbsp;Pakistan remains one of the last countries in the world where polio is endemic, and officials say sustained nationwide campaigns are critical to achieving complete eradication of the disease. The National EOC thanked all relevant stakeholders for their cooperation and active participation in ensuring the campaign&#39;s smooth and successful conduct.&nbsp;It paid special tribute to polio workers and security personnel, describing them as the nation&rsquo;s real heroes for performing their duties under challenging conditions.

Pakistan concludes its first national polio vaccination campaign of 2026 on February 09. 2026. (File photo: Polio Free Pakistan)

Health

Punjab records the highest coverage, with over 22.9 million children vaccinated, followed by Sindh, where more than 10.5 million children receive polio drops.

Pakistan vaccinates over 44M children in first polio campaign of 2026

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister&rsquo;s Focal Person for Polio Eradication and Chairperson of the National Commission for the Rights of the Child Ayesha Raza Farooq has urged parents and caregivers to cooperate fully with vaccination teams as Pakistan prepares to launch its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2026 from February 2 to close final immunity gaps and push towards zero transmission. Speaking on Pakistan TV&rsquo;s programme Beyond Borders, Ayesha Raza Farooq appealed to families to ensure that every child under five receives polio drops during each campaign, calling on communities and the media to help Pakistan finally cross the finish line toward permanent polio eradication. Prime Minister&rsquo;s Focal Person for Polio Eradication expressed optimism that 2026 could become Pakistan&rsquo;s breakthrough year against the disease, provided campaign quality, political ownership and community cooperation remain strong. &ldquo;The February campaign will target more than 45 million children under the age of five across the country. Over 400,000 frontline workers, accompanied by supervisors and area in-charges, will conduct door-to-door vaccination, administering two drops of the polio vaccine to every eligible child,&rdquo; she added. The PM&rsquo;s aide said the programme had refocused on core operational basics, including selecting vaccinators from local communities, strengthening their training and interpersonal communication skills, and improving supportive supervision to ensure effective engagement with caregivers at the household level. Ayesha Raza Farooq explained that campaign quality will be monitored more rigorously this year through independent monitoring, digital tracking systems and daily district-level reviews led by deputy commissioners, allowing for real-time corrective action whenever gaps are identified.&nbsp; She said the emphasis has shifted from post-campaign evaluation to pre-campaign preparedness and intra-campaign monitoring, enabling the programme to respond immediately rather than retrospectively. &ldquo;Polio cases have declined significantly, falling from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025, with the virus now confined to limited geographical pockets. The 2026 roadmap therefore focuses on high-risk areas, including parts of South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Karachi and mobile populations, while major urban centres such as Lahore have shown marked improvement,&rdquo; he added. Referring to disease detection, she said Pakistan operates one of the world&rsquo;s largest and most sensitive polio surveillance systems.&nbsp; &ldquo;We have 127 environmental sampling sites in 88 districts across the country where we&rsquo;re collecting sewage samples throughout the month to see if we detect any virus there. Now why is that critical? Because that helps the programme stay ahead of the virus and we are able to see what paths the virus is taking across the country. It helps us identify high-risk districts,&rdquo; she added. Ayesha Raza Farooq underscored the importance of political ownership, noting that the prime minister personally chairs the National Polio Task Force and conducts regular stock-taking meetings. She said this high-level oversight has resulted in faster decision-making, stronger accountability at provincial and district levels, and sustained focus across political and administrative structures.&nbsp; According to her, the prime minister&rsquo;s direct engagement sends a clear message that polio eradication is a shared national responsibility. She also emphasised the critical role of coordination with Afghanistan, explaining that Pakistan and Afghanistan constitute a single epidemiological block for polio.&nbsp; PM&rsquo;s focal person said both countries regularly synchronize vaccination campaigns, share virus genetic sequencing data and conduct special drives in border areas to reduce the risk of cross-border transmission.&nbsp; Ayesha Raza Farooq said nearly 60 percent of Pakistan&rsquo;s polio workforce comprises women, many of whom work in conservative, remote and at times insecure environments.&nbsp; She said empowering women vaccinators is essential not only for equity but also for programme effectiveness, as female workers are often the only ones able to access households and build trust with mothers and caregivers.

Beyond Borders

Speaking on Pakistan TV’s programme Beyond Borders, Ayesha Raza Farooq appealed to families to ensure that every child under five receives polio drops during each campaign, calling on communities and the media to help Pakistan finally cross the finish line toward permanent polio eradication.

Government seeks parents' support for Feb 2 polio drive

ISLAMABAD: Rigorous vaccination drives across Pakistan this year have cut polio cases by more than half compared to 2024, officials said. Reported polio cases declined from 74 in 2024 to 30 in 2025, with the most recent case reported in October this year. National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Coordinator Farhan Shah said sustained and aggressive anti-polio efforts have significantly reduced the number of reported cases. &ldquo;This year&rsquo;s rigorous polio campaigns have shown clear positive results, reducing the number of cases by over 50% compared to last year,&rdquo; he told Pakistan TV Digital. The year&rsquo;s fifth and final nationwide campaign will be launched from Dec. 15 to 21. It aims to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five across the country. As per official data, over 23 million children will be vaccinated in Punjab, more than 10.6 million in Sindh, around 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and over 2.6 million in Balochistan. In Islamabad, approximately 460,000 children will receive polio drops, while more than 228,000 children in Gilgit-Baltistan and over 760,000 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir will be covered. More than 400,000 male and female polio workers will participate in the campaign, conducting door-to-door visits and staffing vaccination points to ensure children receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine. The national operations center stressed that protecting children from polio is a shared national responsibility. It urged parents to fully cooperate with vaccination teams to help secure a polio-free future for Pakistan. Parents have been advised to ensure that all children under the age of five are vaccinated during the campaign.

The seven-day campaign is the fifth and last national anti-polio drive of 2025 and aims to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five across the country.

Articles tagged with "anti-polio campaign"

Pakistan vaccinates over 44M children in first polio campaign of 2026

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