Islamabad : Pakistan has launched its second nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year, aiming to immunise more than 45 million children under the age of five by April 19.
The drive, which will continue until April 19, is being carried out by over 400,000 frontline health workers who are visiting homes across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad to administer polio drops to eligible children. Vitamin A supplements are also being provided alongside the vaccine to boost immunity.
Polio Programme Chief Anwarul Haq said the country has made notable progress in reducing virus circulation, noting that polio cases were detected in 23 districts in 2026 compared to 82 districts in 2025.
He added that environmental monitoring has also improved significantly, with positive samples declining from 651 to just 40.
Despite these gains, Pakistan still reported 31 confirmed polio cases in 2025, while one case has already been recorded this year from Sujawal in Sindh, showing that transmission has not yet been fully stopped.
First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari urged nationwide participation in the campaign, calling it a critical moment in the country’s fight against polio and stressing the importance of ensuring that every child is vaccinated.
Earlier, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq said Pakistan is “closer than ever” to eliminating polio, but warned that this is a crucial stage where full vaccination coverage is essential.
She appealed to parents across the country to cooperate with vaccination teams, emphasizing that while polio is incurable, it can be completely prevented through repeated immunisation.
