Third sub-national polio campaign begins November 2 in 97 districts
The third sub-national anti-polio campaign of the year starts on November 2 in 97 districts and runs until November 8. It aims to give polio drops to 23.9 million children.
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- The campaign runs from November 2 to 8 in 97 specific districts.
- The target is 23.9 million children, with Punjab accounting for the largest share.
- The Prime Minister's Focal Person for Polio Eradication urged parents to vaccinate all children under five.
The third sub-national anti-polio campaign of the current year begins on Monday, November 2, in 97 specific districts of Pakistan. According to reports from Nawa-i-Waqt and Daily Pakistan, the campaign will run from November 2 to November 8.
The campaign aims to give polio drops to 2 crore 39 lakh children (23.9 million) across the 97 districts. Teams will work in four provinces, the federal capital, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
Daily Pakistan reported the provincial targets. In Punjab, 92 lakh 78 thousand children in 13 districts are to be vaccinated. In Sindh the target is 68 lakh 83 thousand children in 20 districts, and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa it is 48 lakh 8 thousand children in 27 districts.
In Balochistan, 22 lakh 17 thousand children in 31 districts are targeted, while in Islamabad the figure is 4 lakh 47 thousand children. Three districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and two districts of Azad Kashmir will also take part in the campaign.
Ahead of the drive, Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister's Focal Person for Polio Eradication, called on parents to make sure that every child under five years of age receives polio vaccine drops. The Associated Press of Pakistan reported her message on November 1.
She said polio eradication is a national responsibility and a key priority of the Government of Pakistan.
Separately, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported that the World Health Organization is supporting a special polio vaccination campaign in high-risk areas of Peshawar and Khyber districts. The effort aims to protect more than 900,000 children up to 10 years of age against the disease, and it includes polio drops together with a booster dose of the injectable polio vaccine.
Why it matters
Parents of children under five in 97 districts across all four provinces, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir are being asked to have their children vaccinated against polio during the week-long drive.
