ISLAMABAD, Jan 11 (APP):The first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year 2024 continued in the country on Thursday to protect children from paralytic polio.
During the ongoing nationwide campaign, more than 44.3 million children under five years of age will be given oral polio drops during the five-day-long campaign, which will continue until January 12.
Children in Lakki Marwat and South Waziristan Upper and Lower will be vaccinated from January 15–19, while the campaign will be held in Tank from January 15–21 and in DI Khan from January 22–28.
Over 400,000 vaccinators will bring the vaccine to children’s doorsteps. In Punjab, 22.6 million children will be vaccinated, while 10.3 million children in Sindh, 7.5 million children in KP, 2.6 million children in Balochistan, 0.72 million children in AJK, 0.28 million children in GB, and 0.42 million children in Islamabad.
Dr Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, urged parents to open their doors to vaccinators so their children can receive this essential vaccine.
“Polio has no cure. It is a devastating disease that affects not just individual children but also changes the lives of the whole family,” he said.
“The polio vaccine offers protection from this disease and the chance for children to live up to their potential. So, I urge parents and caregivers countrywide to take every opportunity you get to vaccinate your children against polio.”
