National polio immunization campaign concludes

Islamabad: The first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year 2024 concluded on Friday to protect children from paralytic polio. During the nationwide campaign, more than 44.3 million children under five years of age were given oral polio drops during the five-day-long campaign.

Children in Lakki Marwat and South Waziristan Upper and Lower will be vaccinated from January 15–19, while the campaign will be held in Tank from January 15–21 and in DI Khan from January 22–28. Over 400,000 vaccinators participated to bring the vaccine to children’s doorsteps.

In Punjab, 22.6 million children were vaccinated, while 10.3 million children in Sindh, 7.5 million children in KP, 2.6 million children in Balochistan, 0.72 million children in AJK, 0.28 million children in GB, and 0.42 million children in Islamabad.

Dr Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, urged parents to ensure vaccination of their children to receive this essential vaccine.

“Polio has no cure. It is a devastating disease that affects not just individual children but also changes the lives of the whole family,” he said. “The polio vaccine offers protection from this disease and the chance for children to live up to their potential.

So, I urge parents and caregivers countrywide to take every opportunity you get to vaccinate your children against polio.”