The National Emergency Operations Centre has announced that 45.4 million children will receive polio drops during the upcoming weekly polio campaign. In addition to the polio vaccine, children will also be administered a supplementary dose of Vitamin A.
The national polio campaign is scheduled to run across the country from October 13 to 19. More than 400,000 health workers will go door-to-door to ensure children are vaccinated against polio, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
In South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the polio campaign will take place from October 20 to 23, the NEOC confirmed.
Parents are urged to ensure that all children under five years of age receive polio drops. They are also reminded to make sure that children from birth to 15 months complete their routine immunisation schedule on time, the NEOC added.
Despite significant progress in recent years, Pakistan remains one of the few countries in the world where polio is still crippling children, with health authorities warning that continued vigilance and public cooperation are essential to stopping transmission.
NEOC confirmed the total number of polio cases reported across Pakistan as 27 in 2025. According to the NEOC, Sindh has reported seven cases so far this year, highlighting ongoing challenges in eradicating the crippling virus from the province.
The fourth national anti-polio campaign of the year in Rawalpindi District will commence today, October 13 (Monday). During the four day campaign, the polio drops will be administered to a target population of approximately one million children under the age of five to protect.
According to the details, more than ten thousand polio workers and supervisors will participate in the drive, going door-to-door to vaccinate the children. All arrangements have been completed to ensure that no child is deprived of the polio drops.
Chief Executive Officer Health Rawalpindi, Dr Ehsan Ghani, said that the polio virus remains a threat to us, but through continuous vaccination, the hard work of teams, and public cooperation, we can eradicate this virus once and for all.
He said that polio teams in Rawalpindi are fully prepared and in the field to ensure that every child receives the polio vaccine. He informed that the presence of the polio virus in recent environmental samples indicates that the virus is still circulating, so the public needs to remain more vigilant and fully cooperate with the polio teams.
Dr Ehsan Ghani appealed to parents to ensure their children receive the polio drops, as the polio vaccine is one of the safest and most effective vaccines in the world, protecting children from lifelong disability.
He paid tribute to the polio workers participating in the campaign, saying that these workers are securing the nation’s future by reaching every door despite harsh weather conditions.
The health chief emphasized that public cooperation is the most important factor in eradicating polio.
“If every parent administers the drops to their children and cooperates with the polio teams, we can achieve complete freedom from polio very soon”, he said and expressed his resolve that Rawalpindi would play its full role in achieving the goal of a polio-free Pakistan.