Pakistan launched a week-long sub-national polio vaccination campaign on Monday, November 2, 2026, across 97 selected districts, targeting more than 23.9 million children under five years of age.
What happened?
According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), the campaign will continue until November 8, with vaccination teams administering polio drops to eligible children through door-to-door visits and other designated arrangements. The NEOC has urged parents to ensure that all children under five receive polio drops during this and every subsequent campaign, noting that repeated vaccination is essential for building strong immunity.
Key details
- Campaign dates: November 2 to 8, 2026, across 97 selected districts
- Target: more than 23.9 million children under five
- Punjab: more than 9.278 million children in 13 selected districts
- Sindh: 6.883 million children in 20 districts
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: more than 4.808 million children in 27 districts
- Balochistan: 2.217 million children in 31 districts
- Islamabad: more than 447,000 children
- Gilgit-Baltistan: more than 153,000 children in three districts
- Azad Jammu and Kashmir: more than 183,000 children in two districts
What it means for people in Pakistan
For parents, this is a straightforward window to make sure no child under five is missed: vaccination teams will visit homes and also work through designated arrangements in the selected districts. Repeated doses matter, so a child who has had polio drops before should still receive them in this campaign, as health authorities advise.
Source: https://islamabadpost.com.pk/week-long-polio-vaccination-drive-begins-across-97-districts/
