ISLAMABAD: First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has urged parents, caregivers, public representatives and community leaders to actively support the Nationwide Polio Vaccination Campaign, which will commence on Monday.
In a statement, she said the success of the campaign hinges on collective responsibility, urging families to ensure that every child under five years of age receives the necessary polio drops.
The vaccination drive, which will run until the 21st of this month, aims to vaccinate 45.4 million children nationwide. This includes 23.3 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.3 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 2.66 million in Balochistan, with the remaining children covered in Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. The campaign is being coordinated with Afghanistan’s December polio vaccination effort to curb cross-border transmission of the virus.
Highlighting the risks associated with the winter season, Aseefa pointed out that poliovirus spreads more aggressively during this period. She stressed that no child should be missed during the vaccination drive.
The campaign will follow a three-day, house-to-house vaccination schedule with one catch-up day. In high-risk areas, the drive will be extended to five days with two additional catch-up days, utilizing Community-Based Vaccination and Special Mobile Team strategies. A total of 408,484 frontline polio workers, including Area In-charges, Union Council Medical Officers, and mobile, fixed, and transit teams, have been deployed across the country.
She also called on elected representatives, local government officials, religious leaders, and community elders to support the polio teams, facilitate access to communities, and help counter misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.–APP
