Over 44.3m kids vaccinated in first polio drive of 2024

ISLAMABAD: More than 44.3 million children under the age of five received oral polio drops during the five-day inaugural nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2024 that concluded recently.

In the upcoming phase, from January 15 to 19, children in Lakki Marwat and South Waziristan Upper and Lower regions are scheduled for vaccination. Simultaneously, the campaign will extend to Tank from January 15 to 21 and to DI Khan from January 22 to 28.

A workforce comprising over 400,000 vaccinators played a key role in ensuring the vaccine reached the doorsteps of children across the country.

Statistics from the campaign reveal that 22.6 million children in Punjab, 10.3 million in Sindh, 7.5 million in KP, 2.6 million in Balochistan, 0.72 million in AJK, 0.28 million in GB, and 0.42 million in Islamabad were successfully vaccinated during the recent drive.

Dr. Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, stressed the critical role parents play in ensuring the vaccination of their children against polio.

“Polio has no cure. It is a devastating disease that not only impacts individual children but also alters the lives of entire families. The polio vaccine provides protection from this disease, offering children the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Therefore, I urge parents and caregivers nationwide to seize every opportunity to vaccinate their children against polio,” he said.