Pakistan is set to launch its first nationwide polio eradication campaign of 2026 from February 2 to February 8, aiming to vaccinate more than 45 million children. The week-long initiative will involve vaccination teams administering oral polio vaccine to children under five years old across the country. Simultaneously, the campaign will take place in both Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan as part of joint efforts to halt poliovirus transmission.
More than 400,000 workers will participate in the drive, conducting door-to-door vaccination and related activities nationwide. Authorities are urging parents to support the vaccination teams to safeguard their children from the lifelong disabilities caused by poliovirus. They emphasize the importance of completing routine childhood immunization alongside the polio vaccine to ensure comprehensive protection.
Polio, a highly contagious disease caused by a virus, can lead to total paralysis within hours of infection. The virus spreads through person-to-person contact, primarily through the fecal-oral route, or occasionally through contaminated water or food. Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, neck stiffness, and limb pain. Approximately one in 200 infections results in irreversible paralysis, with 5-10% of paralyzed individuals dying due to respiratory muscle immobilization.
Primarily affecting children under five, polio can also affect unvaccinated individuals of any age. While there is no cure for polio, it can be prevented through vaccination. The oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine are both effective and safe preventive measures, administered multiple times to provide lifelong protection based on local epidemiological considerations.
