28.2m children vaccinated in Sept polio campaign

ISLAMABAD, Sep 28 (APP): The September sub-national polio vaccination campaign concluded successfully across 112 selected districts of the country, with more than 28.2 million children under five administered polio drops, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said on Monday.

The campaign, conducted from September 21 to 27, involved more than 273,000 male and female frontline polio workers who visited households and communities to vaccinate children. It was conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In Punjab, more than 8.064 million children received polio drops in 10 selected districts, while over 10.1 million children were vaccinated in 30 selected districts of Sindh.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 7.194 million children received polio drops across 37 selected districts, while over 2.31 million children were vaccinated in 32 selected districts of Balochistan.

In Islamabad, more than 443,000 children received polio drops, while over 140,000 children were vaccinated in two selected districts of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The campaign was postponed in three Punjab districts—Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.

The NEOC appreciated the efforts of frontline polio workers, parents and communities, as well as the support of provincial and district administrations, health departments, law enforcement agencies, partner organisations and the media in the implementation of the campaign.

The NEOC urged parents and caregivers to ensure that every child under five receives polio drops during every campaign and completes the full routine immunisation schedule on time.

Polio is an incurable disease but can be prevented through vaccination.