Pakistan has officially launched its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2026, aiming to protect millions of children from the crippling disease. The week-long drive, running from February 2 to February 8, targets 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts of the country.
The campaign was inaugurated by the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, in the presence of representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. Speaking at the launch, officials stressed that vaccinating every child is essential to stop the transmission of the poliovirus and secure a healthy future for Pakistan’s children.
Pakistan has made significant progress in the fight against polio over the past three decades. Since 1994, polio cases in the country have dropped by 99.8 percent, largely due to regular door-to-door vaccination campaigns and strong coordination between federal and provincial authorities. More than 400,000 frontline health workers are taking part in the current drive, visiting homes, markets, and transit points to ensure no child is missed.
Health officials have urged parents to fully cooperate with vaccination teams and allow their children to receive the oral polio vaccine, which is safe and effective. Community support, they say, remains the key to ending polio once and for all.
Despite ongoing challenges, authorities remain hopeful that with continued commitment and public awareness, Pakistan can achieve its long-standing goal of becoming a polio-free country in the near future.
