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Pakistan Launches First 2026 Nationwide Polio Drive Targeting 45 Million Children

The drive relies on about 400,000 door-to-door vaccinators under tight security.

Overview

  • PEI began the week-long campaign on Feb. 2 across 159 districts, with WHO and UNICEF representatives and the Canadian High Commissioner joining the Islamabad launch.
  • Sindh plans a seven-day effort for over 10 million children, KP began a five-day drive for 6.5 million, Balochistan set a seven-day push for 2.6 million with 11,000 teams, and Punjab is targeting 17.8 million children.
  • Local operations include Rawalpindi’s four-day effort using more than 5,000 teams to reach over a million children and additional district drives such as Lodhran with 1,459 teams.
  • Authorities cite progress with polio cases down to 31 in 2025 from 74 in 2024 and report all six environmental surveillance sites in Lahore recently testing negative for poliovirus.
  • Security escorts are deployed for vaccinators after repeated militant attacks, including 7,703 police in Karachi and 50,000 in KP, while house-to-house teams are backed by transit posts at transport hubs and extra vaccination points planned during Lahore’s Basant festivities.