A seven-day anti-polio campaign will commence from July 1 across the country.

During the special drive, more than 9.5 million children under five will be administered the polio vaccine, the National Emergency Operations Centre said.

It added it will cover 16 districts of Balochistan, 11 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight of Sindh and five of Punjab, while door-to-door polio drive will be conducted in specific union councils of Islamabad too.

It is being run in areas where the continued presence of the virus poses a threat to children, said

NEOC Coordinator Muhammad Anwarul Haq.

He added the polio programme has conducted five polio campaigns so far this year.

He urged parents to ensure participation in the campaign considering it a national duty.