More than 27.7 million children have received polio vaccines during the first five days of the ongoing sub-national vaccination campaign across selected districts of Pakistan, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.
The National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) said that the campaign, which began on September 21 and will continue until September 27, is being conducted in selected districts across the country, with more than 273,000 polio workers going door-to-door to administer vaccine drops to children.
According to the NEOC, around 7.898 million children have been vaccinated in selected districts of Punjab during the first five days of the campaign.
In Sindh, approximately 9.88 million children have received the vaccine across 30 selected districts, while more than 7.122 million children have been vaccinated in 37 selected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Balochistan, over 2.249 million children have been administered polio drops in 32 selected districts.
The campaign has also covered Islamabad, where more than 443,000 children have been vaccinated. In Gilgit-Baltistan, approximately 140,000 children have received the vaccine in two selected districts.
The National EOC urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with vaccination teams visiting homes during the campaign.
It said polio was an incurable disease but could be prevented through vaccination, stressing that every child under the age of five must receive two drops of the polio vaccine during the campaign.
“Polio workers are coming to your doorstep with a message of hope. Please cooperate with them,” the National EOC said.
The campaign is part of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to prevent the transmission of poliovirus and protect children from permanent paralysis caused by the disease.
Parents and caregivers can contact the polio helpline at 1166 or send a WhatsApp message to 0346-7776546 for assistance or information regarding vaccination teams.
Reporter: Babar Shehzad Turk