Pakistan Urges Polio Vaccination for Under-Fives in November Drive

Health authorities have urged parents and caregivers across Pakistan to ensure that every child under five receives two oral polio-vaccine drops during the vaccination campaign scheduled for November 2 to 8. The appeal places household cooperation at the centre of efforts to protect children and interrupt the continued transmission of poliovirus.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative said community confidence and the commitment of frontline workers remain essential to the campaign’s success. Families have been asked to cooperate with vaccination teams and make all eligible children available when vaccinators visit their communities.

Officials stressed that children should receive the vaccine during every campaign, even if they have previously been vaccinated. Repeated doses strengthen immunity and increase protection in areas where the virus may continue circulating through communities or contaminated environments.

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects young children. It can invade the nervous system and cause irreversible paralysis, while severe cases can be fatal. There is no cure for paralysis caused by polio, making vaccination the principal protective measure.

The November campaign is expected to cover selected districts across all provinces and territories, including Islamabad. Preparations reported for the drive include 13 districts in Punjab, 20 in Sindh, 27 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 31 in Balochistan, three in Gilgit-Baltistan and two in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has not been eliminated. International health monitoring during 2026 continued to identify cases and positive environmental samples in the region, showing that apparently unaffected communities can remain vulnerable while the virus is still circulating.

The scale of Pakistan’s eradication effort is substantial. During the first national campaign of 2026, approximately 400,000 trained frontline workers were mobilised to reach about 45 million children, demonstrating the logistical challenge of repeatedly delivering vaccine doses to households, settlements and mobile populations.

For the November drive, campaign effectiveness will depend on reaching children who were missed during earlier rounds, resolving vaccine refusals and maintaining safe access for health teams. Local administrations and health departments will also need to monitor coverage carefully so that missed households can be revisited before the campaign concludes.

Authorities will assess vaccination totals, refusals, inaccessible areas and surveillance findings after the campaign. Sustained parental participation, repeated immunisation and rapid follow-up in high-risk districts will remain necessary until transmission is interrupted and Pakistan can meet its goal of becoming polio-free.