Polio drive targets 13.9m kids in 15 Punjab districts

LAHORE: As a part of the province’s strategy to halt the local transmission of the poliovirus, Punjab has launched a massive polio eradication campaign, aiming to vaccinate 13.9 million children under the age of five across 15 districts.
The districts targeted in this campaign include Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Attock, Chakwal, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Multan, DG Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sheikhupura, Okara, and Gujranwala. 
The vaccination drive will last seven days in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad, while the remaining districts will have a five-day campaign, followed by two additional days to reach children who were missed earlier.
All necessary training for vaccination teams has been completed, and logistics, including vaccine distribution, have been finalised. 
Updated micro-plans have been designed to prioritise high-risk migrant and on-the-move populations. Polio teams will visit every household, including those previously recorded as having no children, to ensure no one is missed.
Khizer Afzaal, the head of Punjab's polio eradication programme and Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Coordinator, pointed out that positive environmental samples in Punjab are linked to clusters of poliovirus activity across the border in Afghanistan and high-risk areas in Pakistan, highlighting the ongoing threat of virus importation into the province.
To counter this, he said, Punjab has set up transit vaccination points for cross-border and inter-provincial travellers to curb local virus transmission. 
Afzaal urged parents to fully support the polio teams, stressing the importance of widespread cooperation for the campaign's success.
He praised the field workers, stating, “Their resilience and commitment are vital in protecting every child in the province. Together, we can achieve polio eradication in Pakistan.”