First Lady urges parents to protect every child as Pakistan launches November polio vaccination campaign
Adnan Athar
Approximately
24 million children to be vaccinated in 97 districts from 2–8 November
2 November 2026 – First Lady of Pakistan Aseefa Bhutto Zardari
urged parents and caregivers across the country to ensure that every child is
protected against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases, as Pakistan
begins its Sub-National Polio Vaccination Campaign from 2 to 8 November 2026.
The campaign aims to
vaccinate approximately 24 million children under five in 97 selected
districts, as Pakistan intensifies efforts to interrupt poliovirus transmission
and protect children from lifelong paralysis.
Pakistan has made
significant progress against polio, reducing cases by 99.8 per cent since the
launch of the national polio eradication programme in 1994, from an estimated
20,000 cases to 31 in 2025. However, the continued detection of the virus
remains a threat to children, with seven polio cases reported in Pakistan so
far in 2026.
Pakistan's goal remains to
interrupt poliovirus transmission by June 2027, making it critical to reach
every eligible child with the polio vaccine and ensure that children receive
complete and timely routine immunisation alongside vaccination during every
polio campaign.
“Every
child deserves the opportunity to grow up healthy, strong and protected from
preventable diseases. With seven polio cases reported in Pakistan this year, we
cannot afford to let our guard down. Our goal remains to stop poliovirus
transmission by mid-2027, and achieving this requires all of us to play our
part. I urge parents to ensure their children receive polio drops during every
campaign, while also completing their routine immunisation on time. We must
protect every child, every time, so that no child has to live with the lifelong
consequences of a disease we can prevent.”
Polio has no cure and can
cause lifelong paralysis, but it can be prevented through vaccination. Repeated
doses of the oral polio vaccine help strengthen children's protection while the
virus continues to circulate.
More than 200,000 frontline
polio workers will participate in the November campaign, visiting communities
to vaccinate children under five. The campaign is being implemented
simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the world's two remaining countries
endemic for wild poliovirus, supported by cross-border coordination.
Parents and caregivers are
urged to cooperate fully with vaccination teams and ensure that every child
under five receives two drops of the oral polio vaccine during the campaign
from 2 to 8 November, regardless of how many doses they have received previously.
Protecting every child
requires both vaccination during polio campaigns and complete and timely
routine immunisation. Parents and caregivers are therefore urged to ensure that
children receive their polio drops during every campaign and stay up to date with
all routine vaccinations.
Ending polio requires sustained vaccination, strong routine immunisation and
the collective commitment of families, communities, health workers and
government. Pakistan's efforts will continue until poliovirus transmission is
interrupted and every child can grow up protected from polio.
