National polio vaccination drive to begin on Nov 2

During the campaign, vaccination teams will administer oral polio vaccine drops to children to protect them against the crippling disease and strengthen efforts to eradicate the virus. In Punjab, more than 9.278 million children will be vaccinated in 13 selected districts, while Sindh will cover 6.883 million children in 20 districts. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the campaign will target over 4.808 million children in 27 districts, while Balochistan will cover more than 2.217 million children in 31 districts. In Islamabad, over 447,000 children will receive polio drops. The campaign will also cover three districts in Gilgit-Baltistan, targeting more than 153,000 children, and two districts in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where over 183,000 children will be vaccinated. The National EOC urged parents and caregivers to ensure that all children under five receive polio drops during the upcoming campaign and every subsequent round of vaccination. It stressed that providing children with a polio-free future was a shared national responsibility and called on parents to extend full cooperation to vaccination teams to achieve complete eradication of the disease.