Karachi: Pakistan is set to launch its first nationwide anti-polio campaign of 2025 starting next month.
The campaign will run from February 3 to 9 and aims to vaccinate over 4.54 million children nationwide, according to reports.
Sources close to the initiative revealed that the campaign will include a three-day vaccination drive followed by two additional catch-up days in general areas.
In more sensitive regions, a five-day drive will take place, also followed by two catch-up days.
These areas will see the deployment of community-based vaccination teams and special mobile units to ensure no child is missed. More than 450,000 workers will participate in this massive effort to remove polio.
In 2024, Pakistan reported 73 polio cases and detected over 480 polio-positive sewage samples nationwide, highlighting the urgent need for robust vaccination campaigns.
Earlier, the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in the country.
Polio is a debilitating disease with no cure, making prevention through vaccination crucial.
Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and the completion of routine vaccination schedules are essential to build strong immunity in children under five years old.
The Pakistan Polio Program regularly conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, delivering vaccines directly to the children at their doorsteps.
The Expanded Program on Immunization provides free vaccinations against 12 childhood diseases at healthcare facilities.
As this year’s first nationwide anti-polio campaign approaches, parents are advised to confirm their children under five receive the vaccine to protect them from this preventable but life-altering disease.
