Over 22 Million Children Get Polio Drops in Pakistan Campaign
National Emergency Operations Centre says the five-day drive in 97 districts is moving ahead smoothly, with Pakistan and Afghanistan vaccinating children side by side.
Pakistan – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Over 22 million children have received polio drops in the first four days of the ongoing campaign, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said on Friday.
The drive is running in 97 selected districts across the country. Health teams aim to reach about 24 million children under five years of age.
The fifth day is now underway. Vaccination work will continue until November 8.
More than 200,000 frontline polio workers are taking part. They are going door to door to reach every child.
The NEOC said Pakistan and Afghanistan are running the campaign at the same time. The goal is to stop the virus from crossing the border.
In Punjab, 8.535 million children were vaccinated in 13 districts. In Sindh, over 6.382 million children received drops in 20 districts.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vaccinated more than 4.429 million children in 27 districts. Balochistan reached 2.008 million children in 31 districts.
Islamabad vaccinated more than 450,000 children. Gilgit-Baltistan reached about 160,000 children in three districts, while Azad Jammu and Kashmir vaccinated around 192,000 children in two districts.
The NEOC warned that the threat of poliovirus is still present in the country. Polio has no cure, and vaccination is the only way to protect children from lifelong disability.
Officials urged parents to welcome the health teams at their doors. Every child under five should get the drops during this campaign.
Parents should also complete routine vaccines on time. This protects children from other diseases that can be prevented.
The NEOC said steady public support and repeated vaccination are the keys to a polio-free Pakistan.
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