More than 22.1 million children have been vaccinated against polio in the first four days of a sub-national immunisation campaign in 97 selected districts, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said on Friday, November 6. The campaign entered its fifth day on the same day, and vaccination activities are scheduled to continue until November 8. A sub-national drive is one held in selected areas rather than across every district at once.
The anti-polio drive aims to immunise about 24 million children under the age of five, and more than 200,000 frontline polio workers are taking part. The NEOC said the campaign is running at the same time in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a step meant to strengthen regional efforts to eradicate the disease and stop poliovirus from crossing borders.
Provincial figures show Punjab leading
Provincial and regional data cited by the NEOC show Punjab recorded the highest number of vaccinations, with 8.535 million children given polio drops across 13 selected districts in the first four days. Sindh reported more than 6.382 million children vaccinated in 20 districts, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) recorded over 4.429 million children in 27 selected districts.
Balochistan reported 2.008 million children immunised in 31 selected districts. Islamabad recorded more than 450,000 children, while about 160,000 children were vaccinated in three selected districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and around 192,000 in two districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Warnings and support from health bodies
The NEOC warned that the threat of poliovirus persists across the country and stressed that polio is an incurable disease. Vaccination, it said, is the only effective way to protect children against lifelong disability. Parents and caregivers were urged to cooperate fully with frontline teams, and to complete routine immunisation schedules on time to guard against other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on November 5 that it and its partners were fully supporting the drive. With support from King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief), government teams were going door-to-door to give polio vaccines to children under five. Separately, the District Health Office (DHO) in Islamabad said its monitoring teams were checking vaccination work and the performance of frontline workers, and it described the campaign as a three-day drive. That description differs from the November 8 end date given by the NEOC, the most recent official timetable.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- November 4: WHO said it was supporting the government and its partners in a nationwide drive targeting nearly 24 million children across 97 districts.
- November 5: WHO and partners said government teams were going door-to-door with KSRelief support. The Islamabad DHO described a three-day campaign and said its teams were monitoring field work.
- November 6 (Friday): The NEOC said more than 22.1 million children were vaccinated in the first four days, and the fifth day was under way.
- November 8: The scheduled last day of vaccination activities, according to the NEOC.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan ke 97 districts mein polio ka anti-polio drive chal raha hai, aur ab tak 22.1 million se zyada bachon ko polio ke qatre pila diye gaye hain. Agar aap ke ghar mein 5 saal se kam umar ka bacha hai, to 8 November tak nazdeeki vaccination team se drops zaroor dilwayen. Routine vaccines bhi waqt par lagwayen taake bachay doosri bimariyon se bache rahen.
