The National Emergency Operations Centre has announced that 45.4 million children will receive polio drops during the upcoming weekly polio campaign. In addition to the polio vaccine, children will also be administered a supplementary dose of Vitamin A.
The national polio campaign is scheduled to run across the country from October 13 to 19. More than 400,000 health workers will go door-to-door to ensure children are vaccinated against polio, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
In South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the polio campaign will take place from October 20 to 23, the NEOC confirmed.
Parents are urged to ensure that all children under five years of age receive polio drops. They are also reminded to make sure that children from birth to 15 months complete their routine immunisation schedule on time, the NEOC added.
Despite significant progress in recent years, Pakistan remains one of the few countries in the world where polio is still crippling children, with health authorities warning that continued vigilance and public cooperation are essential to stopping transmission.
NEOC confirmed the total number of polio cases reported across Pakistan as 27 in 2025. According to the NEOC, Sindh has reported seven cases so far this year, highlighting ongoing challenges in eradicating the crippling virus from the province.
News Published in Express Tribune on October 12th, 2025.
