At least 19.7 million children under five were vaccinated during a week-long anti-polio campaign held from September 1 to 7 across several districts, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
Over 4 million children were vaccinated in Punjab, 8.7 million in Sindh, 2.2 million in Balochistan, and 4 million in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In Islamabad, nearly 479,000 children received polio drops, while 112,000 were vaccinated in Gilgit-Baltistan and 164,000 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, environmental surveillance detected wild poliovirus in sewage samples from Hyderabad, marking the sixth positive detection this year, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The NEOC said parents, civil administrations, law enforcement agencies, and health workers played a crucial role in the campaign’s success, adding that polio teams and security personnel were the “heroes of the nation.”
A follow-up campaign will begin on September 15 in South Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Bajaur, and Upper Dir, targeting 1.6 million children. Authorities have warned that densely populated areas remain at high risk during the rainy season and urged parents to ensure that every child under five is vaccinated.
Citizens can contact the 1166 helpline or send a WhatsApp message to 0346-7776546 for information. The NEOC, operating under the Ministry of National Health Services, coordinates Pakistan’s polio eradication programme with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other global partners.
News Published in Express Tribune on September 09, 2025.
