Pakistan launches nationwide polio drive to immunise over 45.4m children

A health worker (right) administers polio drops to children at a school during a poliovirus vaccination campaign in Lahore on February 3, 2025. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2025, aiming to immunise more than 45.4 million children under the age of five. Starting from February 3 to 9, the campaign will mobilise over 400,000 frontline workers to reach children in every part of the country.

According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), the campaign will cover 23.3 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.3 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2.66 million in Balochistan, 0.74 million in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 0.28 million in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 0.46 million in Islamabad.

The effort will primarily involve a three-day door-to-door vaccination drive, followed by two catch-up days to reach missed children. In areas utilising the community-based vaccination and special mobile team approach, the campaign will run for five days with an additional two-day follow-up.

The campaign will administer the bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV), which provides protection against both wild poliovirus type 1 and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2. To ensure the campaign’s success, 404,574 polio workers have been deployed countrywide, including 331,992 mobile team members, 11,306 fixed team members, and 13,731 transit team members. Additionally, 37,513 area incharges and 8,867 Union Council Medical Officers will oversee the operations at a local level.

Provincial Task Forces have been convened to review the preparedness for the campaign, while the National and Provincial EOCs have stationed experts in high-risk and priority areas to facilitate smooth implementation.

Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, visited high-risk union councils in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to assess the campaign’s progress and interact with frontline polio workers. She praised their dedication, calling them the true heroes in the fight against polio.

“Your hard work is securing the future of our nation,” she told polio teams. “With your relentless efforts and commitment, we will soon achieve a polio-free Pakistan.” She urged parents to ensure their children receive polio drops and adhere to the recommended immunisation schedule.

The government, she emphasised, remains fully committed to eradicating polio, with the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Chief Secretaries, and security institutions working together to ensure the campaign’s success.

“The launch of this national polio campaign reflects the government’s firm resolve to eliminate the virus from Pakistan,” she added. Despite significant progress, Pakistan remains one of the few countries still battling polio, with intermittent cases posing a challenge to eradication. Health officials continue to emphasise the importance of routine immunisation and nationwide campaigns to eliminate the disease permanently.