Pakistan began its third nationwide polio vaccination campaign for the year 2024 after wild poliovirus was detected in the environment in 16 districts. The campaign will target over 45 million under-five children between October 28 and November 3.
Wild poliovirus type 1 has recently been isolated from sewage samples in districts that include Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, three areas of Karachi, Chaman, and others in Sindh and Balochistan, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication by the National Institute of Health. All these districts had earlier reported poliovirus cases in human infections as well as in sewage samples, which indicates the virus still circulates in the areas.
Prime Minister launched the drive formally at PM House on World Polio Day and reiterated the government’s commitment to complete eradication of the virus. During this vaccination activity, Vitamin A supplements would be administered to children to boost immunity.
Prime Minister’s focal person on polio eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, said the government was strictly determined to reach every corner of Pakistan in order to bring healthier childhood to children. She asked parents to cooperate fully with vaccination workers and said “Polio has no cure but it is preventable with vaccination”.
In Balochistan, the virus is still prevalent, and there are tight security arrangements. The same number of more than 2.6 million children will be vaccinated by approximately 11,562 teams. The same campaign will reach 20 million children of Punjab in all major cities across Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad.
Please let your child get immunized through the Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline on 1166 or the WhatsApp Helpline available round-the-clock at 0346-7776546 today if this is not administered today.
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