Pakistan launched a sub‑national polio vaccination campaign on Monday, aiming to immunise around 24 million children under five across 97 districts, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) announced from Islamabad.
The NEOC said the campaign will run until November 8, with more than 200,000 frontline workers conducting door‑to‑door inoculations. The centre urged parents to ensure that all children in the age group receive polio drops and cooperate with vaccination teams, stating that repeated doses strengthen children’s immunity against the disease.
The campaign coincides with a simultaneous effort in neighboring Afghanistan, which is also conducting a polio vaccination drive. Xinhua reports that both countries’ campaigns are designed to run concurrently to curb cross‑border transmission.
The initiative is part of Pakistan’s ongoing national polio eradication strategy, which involves intensive vaccination efforts across targeted districts identified as high‑risk areas. The NEOC highlighted the large scale of the workforce mobilised and the logistical coordination required to reach remote and underserved communities.
While Xinhua reports the scale and coordination of the effort, other outlets have not yet detailed the exact number of districts involved or the size of the workforce deployed. Nonetheless, the NEOC’s announcement confirms the country’s continued commitment to eradicating polio in the region.