Pakistan to launch nationwide polio vaccination drive starting October 25
Oct 20, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], October 20 : Pakistan is set to launch a nationwide polio vaccination drive with an aim to immunise over 4.5 million children across the country on October 25, as per ARY News, citing sources.
The campaign will take place in three phases, with the first phase starting in the Sindh province, ARY News stated.
The first phase will start in Sindh on October 25, followed by the second phase starting on October 28 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The third phase will start on November 11 in Punjab, Balochistan, and Islamabad, as per ARY News.
Over 4.5 million children are to be vaccinated as part of the drive; 2.3 million will be vaccinated in Punjab, 1.6 million in Sindh, 730,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 265,000 in Balochistan.
Furthermore, vaccinations are scheduled for 461,125 youngsters in Islamabad, 740,000 in Azad Kashmir, and 281,232 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Vitamin A supplements will also be given to children between the ages of 6 and 59 months as part of the vaccination campaign. The campaign will involve the deployment of 455,504 frontline workers, ARY News reported.
On Saturday, two new cases of polio were reported from various parts of Pakistan, increasing the total number to 39 this year across the nation.
According to sources, the districts of Sanghar and Mirpur Khas in the province of Sindh have reported two new cases of polio, ARY News reported.
The National Reference Lab of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirms these cases.
Earlier, three new cases of polio were recorded in Balochistan, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 20 this year.
The three new cases of polio were reported from the districts of Chaman, Pishin, and Nushki in Balochistan and confirmed by the Department of Health in the province.
