A week-long anti-polio vaccination campaign is due to begin tomorrow in 97 selected districts across Pakistan, with teams set to give oral polio drops to around 24 million children under the age of five.
The drive is a sub-national effort, meaning it covers chosen districts rather than every part of the country at once. Vaccination teams will visit homes to administer the drops, which protect children from poliovirus — the virus that can cause lifelong paralysis.
Islamabad drive already under way
In the capital, the Sub-National Immunization Days (SNID) — short, focused days for giving polio vaccine in selected areas — were inaugurated on Saturday at Golra Station. Health teams there plan to give polio drops to 447,614 children across Islamabad.
District Health Officer Islamabad Dr Syeda Rashida Batool attended the opening with the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad. Officials said the aim is to protect every child under five through door-to-door vaccination and to leave no child out.
What parents are being asked to do
Parents in the campaign areas have been urged to cooperate with vaccination teams and to make sure each child under five receives the drops. The message from health authorities is practical: open the door when teams arrive, keep under-five children available, and complete the dose so the child is protected against the crippling disease.
The national phase starting tomorrow will run for a week in the 97 districts named for this round. Islamabad’s target figure of 447,614 sits within the wider goal of reaching roughly 24 million young children in the selected districts.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Saturday: Sub-National Immunization Days polio campaign inaugurated at Golra Station in Islamabad; teams set to vaccinate 447,614 children in the capital.
- Tomorrow: Week-long sub-national anti-polio vaccination campaign begins in 97 selected districts nationwide, targeting around 24 million children under five.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Kal se mulk ke 97 districts mein polio ke qatron ka hafta-bhar campaign shuru ho raha hai. Paanch saal se kam umar ke lagbhag 2.4 crore bachon ko ghar ghar ja kar drops di jayengi. Islamabad mein drive Saturday se shuru ho chuka hai, jahan 447,614 bachon ko cover karna hai. Walidain se darkhwast hai ke teams ka sath dein taake koi bacha drops se reh na jaye.
