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Pakistan Targets 45M Kids in Major 2026 Polio Vaccination Drive

Pakistan's health authorities have announced a major nationwide polio eradication campaign for early 2026, aiming to vaccinate more than 45 million children under five. The week-long drive will be conducted simultaneously with neighboring Afghanistan to coordinate cross-border efforts against the virus. Over 400,000 workers will participate in door-to-door vaccination activities across the country. Authorities are urging full parental cooperation to protect children from the lifelong disability caused by polio, for which there is no cure, only prevention through vaccination.

Key Points: Pakistan's 2026 Polio Campaign to Vaccinate 45M Children

  • Targets over 45 million children
  • Runs from February 2-8, 2026
  • Coordinated with Afghanistan
  • Involves 400,000+ health workers
  • Focus on door-to-door vaccination
2 min read

Pakistan to vaccinate over 45 million children in first 2026 anti-polio campaign

Pakistan launches a nationwide polio vaccination campaign in February 2026, aiming to protect over 45 million children under five from the virus.

"The campaign will be held simultaneously in Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan as part of coordinated cross-border efforts to interrupt poliovirus transmission - Emergency Operations Centre"

Islamabad, Jan 10

Pakistan will vaccinate more than 45 million children during its first nationwide polio eradication campaign of 2026, scheduled to run from February 2 to February 8, health authorities said on Saturday.

The country's emergency operations centre said the week-long campaign will be conducted across the country, with vaccination teams administering oral polio vaccine to children under the age of five.

The campaign will be held simultaneously in Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan as part of coordinated cross-border efforts to interrupt poliovirus transmission, the centre added.

More than 400,000 workers will take part in the drive, carrying out door-to-door vaccination and related activities nationwide, Xinhua news agency reported.

The authorities urged parents to cooperate with vaccination teams to protect their children from lifelong disability caused by poliovirus, and emphasised the importance of completing routine childhood immunisation alongside polio vaccination.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5-10 per cent die when their breathing muscles become immobilised.

Polio mainly affects children under 5 years of age. However, anyone of any age who is unvaccinated can contract the disease.

There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life. There are two vaccines available: oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine. Both are effective and safe, and both are used in different combinations worldwide, depending on local epidemiological and programmatic circumstances, to ensure the best possible protection to populations can be provided.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Coordinating with Afghanistan is smart. Viruses don't respect borders. India faced similar challenges with cross-border transmission before we were declared polio-free. Hope they can achieve the same. The health workers involved are the real heroes.
A
Aman W
Good initiative, but the real challenge is overcoming vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, especially in remote areas. We saw that in parts of India too. Authorities must work closely with local community leaders to build trust.
S
Sarah B
As a parent, this article is a stark reminder of how important vaccination is. 45 million children is an incredible number. I hope every parent there cooperates. No child should suffer from a preventable disease.
V
Vikram M
The scale is impressive - 400,000 workers! It shows serious intent. Eradicating polio benefits the entire region. A healthier neighbourhood is good for everyone. More power to the health teams on the ground.
K
Karthik V
While I support the health goal, I do hope the campaign is implemented transparently and the vaccines reach every child, especially in the most vulnerable areas. Sometimes these large drives face logistical and corruption issues.

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