ISLAMABAD: The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) announced that anti-polio campaign will be begin on October 13 and will continue till October 19 to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five against the crippling disease.
According to the NEOC, children will also receive an additional dose of Vitamin A during the campaign to help boost their immunity.
An additional dose of Vitamin A will also be given to children during the campaign to help strengthen their immune systems.
More than 400,000 trained polio workers will take part in the campaign across the country to ensure every eligible child receives the vaccine.
As per provincial data shared by the NEOC, in Punjab, over 23 million children under five will be vaccinated while I’m Sindh, more than 10.6 million children will be targeted.
In Balochistan, over 2.6 million children will receive the drops while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, around 7.2 million children will be covered.
The NEOC said that in Islamabad, over 460,000 children will be vaccinated while in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, more than 760,000 children will be administered the vaccine. In Gilgit-Baltistan, over 280,000 children will be reached during the drive.
The NEOC has appealed to all parents and caregivers to ensure that every child under five years of age receives the polio drops during the nationwide campaign from October 13 to 19.
The NEOC also urged parents to complete the full course of routine immunization for their children to protect them from polio and other preventable diseases.
What is Polio?
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.
The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Program on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities.
It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.
