A nationwide anti-polio campaign is set to begin today, Monday with the goal of vaccinating over 30 million children under five years old, as reported by state broadcaster Radio Pakistan on Sunday.
In anticipation of the nationwide campaign, several district administrations in Sindh launched week-long polio vaccination drives earlier today. These local efforts aim to vaccinate 9.4 million children under the age of five across 30 districts in the province.
So far this year, 17 polio cases have been reported in Pakistan, with three of them originating from Sindh. The situation is further complicated by the detection of positive environmental samples throughout the province, which indicates the continued circulation of the virus.
“Given the current alarming situation, repeated vaccination is especially important. Each dose boosts immunity, bringing us closer to eradicating polio once and for all,” said Irshad Sodhar, provincial coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre.
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Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic, alongside Afghanistan. Despite global efforts to eliminate the virus, progress has been hampered by factors such as security challenges, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation.
