In brief
On 2 November Pakistan rolled out a broad polio vaccination drive through its National Emergency Operations Center, deploying 200,000+ frontline workers and aiming to immunise 24 million children in 97 districts until 8 November. The effort runs concurrently with Afghanistan’s own campaign. The NEOC urged parents to ensure all children receive polio drops, citing repeated doses as essential to strengthening immunity.
On Monday, November 2, the Pakistani government launched a sub‑national polio vaccination campaign that is expected to immunise approximately 24 million children under the age of five in 97 selected districts, according to a report from Xinhua.
The National Emergency Operations Center, or NEOC, said it had deployed more than 200,000 frontline workers to conduct door‑to‑door inoculations. The campaign is scheduled to continue until November 8, with teams traveling from one household to the next to administer the polio drop, the agency reported.
Xinhua highlighted that the effort will run simultaneously with a comparable polio vaccination drive in neighboring Afghanistan. The coordination of the two national campaigns is aimed at halting the spread of the disease across the border, the source added.
The NEOC’s statement also indicated that the 24‑million‑child target encircles children aged five and younger, marking a significant amplification of previous annual coverage levels. The agency noted that the broad reach will depend on the efficiency of the door‑to‑door teams and the cooperation of local communities.
In addition to campaign logistics, the agency urged parents to ensure that each child under five receives the polio drop and that repeated doses are administered as recommended. It emphasized that repeated inoculations improve immunity, a message echoed by the NEOC’s spokesperson in the Xinhua report.
As the campaign remains in full swing through the first week of November, the NEOC plans to maintain the 200,000‑person workforce until the project’s conclusion on November 8. The ongoing effort underscores Pakistan’s commitment to eradicating polio and protecting the youngest citizens in the country, according to the Xinhua coverage.