Provincial Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah inaugurated the anti-polio vaccination campaign on Friday by administering polio drops to children in Peshawar. Over 4.423 million children will be vaccinated in the campaign, which will be carried out in two phases. The first phase runs from April 29 to May 3, covering 14 complete districts and eight partial districts for polio eradication. The second phase runs from May 2 to May 6, targeting polio eradication in five districts. During both phases, more than 4.423 million children under the age of five will receive polio drops.
According to official figures, 21,000 polio teams and 33,000 security personnel have been deployed for the campaign. No polio cases have been reported this year, compared to four cases in 2023. The minister urged parents to protect their children from lifelong disability by vaccinating them. He emphasized the involvement of community members, scholars, local dignitaries, political leaders, and paediatricians in the polio eradication efforts. He also noted that in developed countries, people take their children to vaccination centres themselves.
