Last Nationwide Polio Eradication Action of 2024 Begins Today in Pakistan

• 0.4 million polio workers will be deployed in the country’s 143 districts.
• 609 teams to manage 0.14 million childhood polio drops in B. Waziristan.
• Parents “urged” to vaccinate their children against the crippling disease.

A week-long national polio campaign was officially launched today (Monday) with the aim of vaccinating about 44,000,000 children across the country against the crippling disease, after the annual polio case tally reached 63.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced the launch of the polio drive by administering drops to children in Islamabad.

Addressing the opening ceremony, he expressed commitment to eliminate the polio virus from Pakistan with the help of provincial governments and international partners.

About 400,000 polio workers in 143 districts of the country will visit every household to administer polio drops to children under the age of five, according to Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq.

He asked the parents to open their doors and fully cooperate with the polio groups in this campaign.

Kicking off the vaccination initiative in Sindh, the provincial Health Department on Monday said the seven-day anti-polio campaign will continue till December 22, during which around 16 million children will receive anti-polio drops.

The health ministry said 80,000 frontline workers will go door-to-door to vaccinate children, while 15,000 security personnel will accompany them to protect them.

He said that of the 63 polio cases in Pakistan this year, 17 were reported in Sindh.

“Parents are urged to vaccinate their children against polio. Repeated polio vaccination strengthens children’s immunity,” he said. The health department has also urged parents to contact the helpline 1166 if any child has missed the vaccination.

“Polio still exists in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Therefore, the media, community leaders and religious scholars are requested to support the campaign,” he added.

On the other hand, Bahawalpur district aims to complete its target of administering polio drops to more than 0.82 million under-five children in five days by December 20 with the help of 3,276 mobile teams, 195 fixed and 136 teams transit, District Health Authority official Dr. Amir Bashir said.

Deputy commissioner of Vehari district said they had set a target of administering polio drops to more than 0.64 million children in five days with the help of 2,374 teams.

While, 609 teams will manage more than 0.14 million children affected by polio in North Waziristan and 2,023 police officers will provide security in this campaign, said the deputy commissioner of North Waziristan.

Gujrat DC said teams comprising 5,169 officials will administer polio drops to more than 0.51 million children in Gujrat.

Launching the anti-polio program yesterday, Chief Minister Shehbaz urged parents to ensure their children are vaccinated to protect them from the viral disease.

He welcomed international partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation founded by Bill Gates, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Saudi Arabia to help Pakistan in the war against polio.

Polio virus, a highly contagious viral disease, mainly affects children under the age of five, especially those with weak immunity or insufficient vaccination.

The disease invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death. Although there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this devastating disease.

Pakistan is one of two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, and the number of annual cases had declined significantly in the country until the recent surge in cases.

The country’s rigorous efforts to eradicate polio face significant challenges, particularly in areas where insecurity, misinformation and parental refusals hamper vaccination campaigns.

With more than 60% of children infected with polio in 2024 not receiving routine immunization, health authorities have established a high-level committee to improve coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). .

Balochistan remains the most affected province in the recent surge in the spread of the disease with 26 cases reported so far this year.