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| File Photo (Internet) / killed in attack on polio team in Nowshera |
Pakistan on Monday launched its final nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign for 2025, aiming to protect more than 45 million children from the crippling disease, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
The seven-day campaign will continue until December 21 and will see polio drops administered to children under the age of five across all provinces and regions of the country. Authorities say the drive is a crucial step toward interrupting poliovirus transmission nationwide.
In Punjab, health teams are set to vaccinate more than 23 million children, while Sindh’s target exceeds 10.6 million. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 7.2 million children will receive anti-polio drops during the campaign.
Balochistan will cover more than 2.6 million children, while in the federal capital Islamabad, vaccination efforts will target over 460,000 children. Gilgit-Baltistan is expected to vaccinate more than 228,000 children, and over 760,000 children will be covered in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The National EOC stated that more than 400,000 male and female polio workers have been deployed nationwide to ensure the smooth execution of the campaign. The centre emphasized that protecting children from polio is a shared national responsibility and urged parents to fully cooperate with vaccination teams.
Officials also acknowledged challenges faced in previous efforts. According to earlier reports, the nationwide anti-polio drive held in October failed to meet its targets, with over 1.09 million children missing vaccination. Among them, more than 721,000 children were unavailable, while 53,621 cases of vaccine refusal were reported.
Health authorities stressed that renewed community cooperation is essential to overcome these gaps and secure Pakistan’s goal of a polio-free future.
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