A week-long anti-polio vaccination campaign will begin across Pakistan on Monday, 2 November, aiming to protect nearly 24 million children under the age of five in 97 selected districts.
The drive, the third sub-national immunisation round of 2026, will run until 8 November. More than 200,000 frontline workers will take part, going door to door and staffing fixed points to make sure no eligible child is missed.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal formally launched the campaign at the National Emergency Operations Centre in Islamabad, administering drops to children at the opening ceremony. He was joined by the centre’s coordinator, Muhammad Anwar ul Haq, and by representatives of partner organisations including the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Rotary.
Officials at the launch stressed that the effort depends on frontline workers, parents and communities working together, and said the shared goal remains a polio-free Pakistan.
In Balochistan, the provincial Emergency Operations Centre coordinator, Inam Ul Haq, announced that the campaign will cover 31 districts in the province. More than 2.2 million children are due to receive the vaccine there, supported by 8,888 mobile and stationary teams.
Balochistan has reported no new polio case since November 2024, a milestone officials will be keen to protect as the new round gets under way.
Parents are being urged to welcome vaccination teams and to make sure every child under five receives the drops, even if the child has been vaccinated before. Repeated rounds, health officials say, are what keep immunity high and stop the virus from finding new footholds.
The campaign is one of several sub-national rounds held each year in districts identified as higher risk, and it forms part of Pakistan’s long-running push to consign polio to history.
