Pakistan has launched second nationwide anti-polio campaign of 2026. In February, National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said that the first national anti-polio drive of 2026 was successfully completed. The NEOC in a statement said that over 4,43,00,000 children were administered polio vaccine in the campaign. As per details, the anti-polio campaign will continue until 19 April.

The initiative is being carried out across 169 districts in Pakistan and 382 districts in Afghanistan at the same time. The campaign aims to vaccinate more than 45.3 million children, with over 400,000 workers deployed. In Punjab, the target is 23.4 million children, while Sindh aims to vaccinate 10.5 million children. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 7.3 million children will be vaccinated against polio virus, while Balochistan has set a target of 2.6 million.

In Azad Kashmir, 710,000 children are included in the anti-polio campaign, while Gilgit-Baltistan has a target of 280,000 children.In Islamabad, approximately 450,000 children will be administered polio drops. A five-day anti-polio campaign will be conducted in sensitive areas, followed by two catch-up days, with special mobile teams deployed. Children will also be given Vitamin A drops to help boost immunity.

A special plan has been devised for the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with vaccination to be carried out at all crossing points. Due to past cooperation, polio cases have seen a significant decline; however, conditional travel restrictions remain in place for both countries.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)