ISLAMABAD, Nov 02 (DNA):Pakistan on Monday launched a week-long sub-national polio vaccination campaign across 97 selected districts, targeting more than 23.9 million children under five years of age to protect them against the crippling disease.
According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), the campaign will continue until November 8, with vaccination teams administering polio drops to eligible children through door-to-door visits and other designated arrangements.
Across Punjab, more than 9.278 million children will be vaccinated in 13 selected districts, while 6.883 million children will receive polio drops in 20 districts of Sindh.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the campaign will cover 27 selected districts, targeting over 4.808 million children, while 2.217 million children will be vaccinated in 31 districts of Balochistan.
In Islamabad, more than 447,000 children will receive polio drops. The campaign will also cover three selected districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, targeting over 153,000 children, and two districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where more than 183,000 children will be vaccinated.
The NEOC has urged parents to ensure that all children under five receive polio drops during the ongoing and every subsequent campaign, emphasizing that repeated vaccination is essential for building strong immunity against the virus.
It said providing children with a polio-free future was a shared national responsibility and called on parents and communities to extend full cooperation to vaccination teams to achieve the complete eradication of poliovirus from the country.
