Over 24.7m children vaccinated as Pakistan, Afghanistan hold simultaneous polio campaign

The second national polio eradication campaign of the year has entered its third day, with the National Emergency Operations Center (EOC) confirming that over 24.7 million children under the age of five have already been vaccinated across Pakistan and Afghanistan during the first two days.

Launched on April 21, the week-long campaign will continue uninterrupted until April 27, with health officials aiming to vaccinate more than 20 million additional children in the remaining five days.

According to the EOC, the campaign is progressing steadily, with provincial vaccination rates showing encouraging figures: Punjab has achieved 56 percent coverage, Sindh 48 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 58 percent, and Balochistan 54 percent. In the federal regions, Islamabad has reached 45 percent coverage, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 66 percent, and Gilgit-Baltistan 63 percent.

Officials are urging parents to ensure every child under five receives polio drops during the campaign, reiterating that repeated vaccination is the only way to protect children from the life-threatening virus.

To support the effort, a special polio helpline has been set up for reporting unvaccinated children. Parents can send a WhatsApp message to 0346-7776546 or call the helpline at 1166 for assistance.

The National EOC has appealed for full cooperation from parents and communities to help eradicate polio once and for all from the region.