Pakistan kicks off nationwide polio vaccination campaign to inoculate 40 million children

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Monday kicked off a two-week-long anti-polio vaccination campaign to vaccinate around 40 million children under the age of five against the crippling disease in two phases.

The first national immunization campaign of 2023 started amid threats from militants who attacked polio workers and security personnel, months after the country reported nearly 20 cases of the contagious virus in the northwestern region bordering Afghanistan.

Reports in local media said over 1 lac trained and dedicated health workers are taking part in the campaign to inoculate the targeted children at their doorstep.

In a statement, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel said linked eliminating the poliovirus in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is crucial for eliminating polio from the country.

Patel added that the South Asian nation was close to the finish line to achieve the polio-free target, saying the government has reduced the virus to only one small part of the country with all-out efforts.

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the National Emergency Operation Centre reiterated aim is to ensure timely and repeated vaccination of all children. He mentioned targeting high-risk districts at first to protect the rest of the region.

He also urged all parents to get their children immunised against the polio virus, saying no child is safe until all children are truly vaccinated.

Polio is a highly infectious and debilitating disease that is usually spread through contaminated water or food. Invading the nervous system, the disease can cause total paralysis within hours.

The contagious virus thrived in the borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan where militants attacked and even killed anti-polio teams.