Punjab’s Urgent Anti-Polio Drive: 5.08M Children to Be Vaccinated

Punjab has launched a major anti-polio campaign, aiming to vaccinate 5.08 million children under five across seven districts. The campaign was officially inaugurated in Sialkot by Chief Minister Punjab’s Focal Person for Polio, who personally administered polio drops to children and led a door-to-door vaccination drive.

A Collective Effort to Eradicate Polio

Running from February 3 to February 9, 2025, this initiative covers Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Layyah, and Mianwali, with the support of over 39,000 dedicated polio workers. Provincial Minister and Chief Secretary have urged local authorities to ensure every child is reached.

Protecting Our Frontline Workers

To safeguard the health workers tirelessly delivering vaccines, security personnel have been deployed, and strict legal action will be taken against anyone attempting to disrupt the campaign.

Pakistan’s Urgent Fight Against Polio

Despite progress, Pakistan remains one of only two countries where polio is still endemic. The first polio case of 2025 was recently detected in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a stark reminder that eradication efforts must continue. Repeated doses of the polio vaccine are crucial to building lifelong immunity, and the vaccine remains safe, effective, and completely free.

Raising Health Awareness

Polio workers will also educate families about dengue and Covid-19 prevention, ensuring broader community health awareness. The previous campaign in May 2024 was a massive success by vaccinating 22.1 million children, exceeding the 21.9 million target. Punjab has impressively maintained a polio-free status since October 2020.

Protecting Every Child’s Future

The Punjab government is fully committed to making Pakistan polio-free. Parents and communities are urged to cooperate with polio teams and ensure that every child receives the lifesaving polio vaccine—because a polio-free future starts with all of us.