Pakistan Launches Subnational Polio Vaccination Drive Targeting 24 Million Children

Pakistan has launched a subnational polio vaccination campaign targeting approximately 24 million children across 97 districts, the National Emergency Operations Center announced, as part of efforts to interrupt viral transmission. The initiative, inaugurated by Health Minister Mustafa Kamal at the NEOC, runs from November 2 to November 8 and focuses on achieving universal coverage among children under five, particularly in high-risk areas such as southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh. Pakistan has reported seven wild poliovirus type 1 cases this year, reflecting ongoing challenges despite a 99.8 percent reduction in cases since the early 1990s, when an estimated 20,000 infections were recorded annually, down to 31 last year. The campaign will be implemented simultaneously with Afghanistan, the last two endemic countries for wild poliovirus, and will mobilize over 200,000 frontline workers with strong cross-border coordination. Officials have urged parents and caregivers to welcome vaccination teams to every home, stressing that the oral drops are safe and effective. Persistent challenges include misinformation, vaccine refusals, and attacks by militant groups, who falsely claim vaccines are part of a Western plot; recently, unidentified gunmen killed two police constables protecting a vaccination team in Balochistan, with no group claiming responsibility.

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