Pakistan: Over 21 million children to be vaccinated in March polio campaign

A polio vaccination campaign to immunize more than 21.54 million children under the age of five will kick off in Sindh and Punjab today.

The five-day campaign is being held in two phases due to the engagement of government staff in the ongoing countrywide digital census. In the first phase, over 17.41 million children under the age of five in 13 districts of Punjab and 16 districts of Sindh and Islamabad will be vaccinated from March 13 to March 17.

The second phase will be organised from April 3 to 7 — during the second week of the holy month of Ramadan — to vaccinate more than 4.12 million children in 12 districts of Balochistan and 26 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the seven endemic districts in the southern region of the province.

Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel urged parents and caregivers to ensure that their children receive the lifesaving polio vaccine so that they remain protected from poliovirus, which has been found circulating in environmental samples.

“The presence of wild polio in the environment shows that the virus is circulating in our communities and posing a serious risk to our children,” said Abdul Qadir Patel.

“With Ramadan and Eid around the corner, movement of people in large number can increase the risk of virus spread, therefore, it is critical that parents and caregivers vaccinate their children in this and every campaign,” said the minister.

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