Pakistan to 'launch' nationwide polio vaccination drive on Oct 25

ISLAMABAD: A nationwide polio vaccination drive is set to commence on October 25, aiming to immunize over 4.5 million children across Pakistan, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, the campaign will be conducted in three phases, starting from Sindh province.

The first phase will begin on October 25 in Sindh, followed by the second phase on October 28 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The third phase will commence on November 11 in Punjab, Balochistan, and Islamabad.

The drive aims to vaccinate over 4.5 million children, including 2.3 million in Punjab, 1.6 million in Sindh, 730,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 265,000 in Balochistan.

Additionally, 461,125 children will be vaccinated in Islamabad, 740,000 in Azad Kashmir, and 281,232 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The vaccination drive will also include vitamin A supplements for children aged 6 to 59 months. A total of 455,504 frontline workers will be deployed for the campaign.

READ: Pakistan reports two more polio cases

Yesterday, two new polio cases were reported from different areas of Pakistan, bringing the total number to 39 this year in the country.

Sources claimed that two new polio cases were reported from the Sanghar and Mirpur Khas districts of Sindh province.

The National Reference Lab of National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirms these cases.

Prior to this,  three new polio cases were reported in Balochistan after which the number of cases has been reached to 20 in the province during the current year.

The Health Department of Balochistan confirmed the three new polio cases from the districts of Chaman, Pishin, and Nushki area of Balochistan.

The affected children include a nine-month-old from Chaman, an 18-month-old from Pishin, and a five-year-old from Noshki, all of whom have been left disabled due to the disease, according to health department sources.

Health authorities are intensifying efforts to combat the virus and protect vulnerable children.