17.41M children vaccinated in first phase of Polio drive

Lahore: The government has successfully completed the first phase of polio vaccination campaign to immunize more than 17.41 million children under the age of five in Sindh and Punjab.

The five-day vaccination campaign was held in two phases due to the concurring activities of the seventh national census.

In the first phase, over 17.41 million children under the age of five in 13 districts of Punjab and 16 districts of Sindh and Islamabad were vaccinated from March 13 to 17.

The second phase will be held from April 3 to 7 to vaccinate more than 4.12 million children in 12 districts of Balochistan and 26 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel has urged parents and caregivers to ensure that their children receive the life-saving polio vaccine so that they remain protected from poliovirus, which has been found circulating in environmental samples.