ISLAMABAD: The second nationwide anti-polio campaign of 2026 concluded on Sunday, with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) reporting that over 44.5 million children were successfully vaccinated during the week-long exercise.
The drive, which mobilized a massive workforce of more than 400,000 frontline health workers, aimed to close immunity gaps in every corner of the country, from dense urban centers to the most remote mountainous regions.
According to data released by the NEOC, the provincial breakdown showed significant coverage, with Punjab leading the figures at approximately 22.9 million children vaccinated.
In Sindh, over 10.3 million children received the oral polio vaccine, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan reported 7.15 million and 2.58 million vaccinations, respectively.
Federal and administrative territories also saw high turnout, with Islamabad reaching 441,000 children, Azad Jammu and Kashmir vaccinating roughly 717,000, and Gilgit-Baltistan covering over 292,000 children.
In a move to strengthen overall pediatric health, the campaign integrated the administration of Vitamin A supplements alongside the polio drops.
Health officials emphasized that the drive was synchronized with a similar campaign in Afghanistan, reflecting a unified cross-border strategy to interrupt the transmission of the virus within the single epidemiological block shared by the two countries.
The NEOC underscored that while the campaign has concluded, the threat of the incurable disease remains, particularly for children who have not completed their routine immunization.
Parents who were unavailable during the door-to-door visits have been urged to contact the national helpline at 1166 or use the dedicated WhatsApp number 0346-7776546 to ensure their children are protected. Authorities maintained that reaching every child is the only way to ensure a polio-free future for Pakistan.
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