Punjab Polio Campaign Reaches 6m Children in 3 Days
The Punjab polio campaign has reached more than six million children in its first three days, with vaccination teams now chasing the children they missed on the first visits.
The drive began on November 2 and has finished in 12 of the province’s 13 districts. It will continue in Lahore until Sunday, November 8, as health workers try to reach children who were not at home when teams first called.
It is the fifth polio drive in Punjab this year, and the third sub-national round. More than 77,000 frontline workers are going door to door to give oral polio vaccine drops to children under five.
Punjab polio campaign: the district figures
Figures from the Punjab Emergency Operations Centre show more than 900,000 children were vaccinated in Lahore, over 700,000 in Multan and 600,000 in Rawalpindi during the first three days.
The campaign targets more than 9.3 million children under five across 13 districts. Lahore carries the largest target, at more than 2.285 million, followed by Rahim Yar Khan at over 1.142 million, Multan at more than one million and Rawalpindi at 990,000.
Lahore’s drive runs for seven days, while the other 12 districts complete their work in four days, reflecting the size of the city’s target and the difficulty of reaching every household in dense urban areas.
The missed children
The campaign focuses on children missed in earlier rounds. Teams are visiting homes and transport points, and returning to households where children were absent.
Health officials admit the worry has not gone away. Sources say an apprehension persists that every child needing vaccination may not be reached, despite the efforts of the anti-polio teams, including lady health workers.
The provincial authorities have not yet shared a district-wise breakdown of the number of children initially missed, parental refusals, those reached through repeat visits or the children still awaiting vaccination. A health official said the figures would help assess how well the campaign has worked.
Punjab EOC Coordinator Khalid Parvaiz visited Rajanpur district during the drive, where he met local representatives, including Member of the National Assembly Sardar Shamsher Mazari, to seek support for community participation. In Rojhan, he met frontline teams and directed district officials to follow approved microplans, monitor high-risk locations and transport points, and immediately revisit households where children had been missed.
Parents whose children missed the home visits can use catch-up facilities at government hospitals, contact the helpline 1122, or visit their nearest immunisation centre.
The national picture
The Punjab drive is part of a sub-national campaign running from November 2 to 8 across 97 districts, aiming to protect about 24 million children under five with more than 200,000 frontline workers.
National figures from the National Emergency Operations Centre show more than 19.6 million children were vaccinated across the country in the first three days, including about 5.659 million in Sindh, 4.002 million in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and more than 1.65 million in Balochistan. Arab News reported the national figures from the centre’s briefing.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are running their campaigns at the same time to reduce the risk of the virus crossing the border. Genetic analysis has linked the virus found in Khyber district’s cases with strains circulating in Afghanistan, which has reported 50 cases this year.
The ninth case
The need for vigilance grew sharper this week. Pakistan reported its ninth polio case of 2026, a seven-month-old boy from Mastak union council in Bara tehsil of Khyber district, the third case from the district this year and the seventh from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Two cases have been reported from Sindh.
Punjab has recorded no polio case this year, and Khalid Parvaiz has called the absence of poliovirus in environmental samples from Lahore and Rawalpindi encouraging. Health authorities stress that repeated vaccination is needed to maintain immunity, and that movement between provinces keeps the risk of reintroduction alive.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed federal health officials and the polio eradication team to visit all four provinces and prepare a coordinated strategy within a week. The campaign’s own workers face risks in the field: stray dogs have attacked polio teams in Sindh, and the drive runs alongside a wider winter health strain, with flu vaccines in short supply in Islamabad.
How many children has the Punjab polio campaign reached?
More than six million children in Punjab were vaccinated in the first three days of the campaign, which began on November 2.
How long will the campaign run in Lahore?
The campaign continues in Lahore until Sunday, November 8. It has concluded in the other 12 districts.
What is the national target?
The campaign aims to vaccinate about 24 million children under five across 97 districts by November 8.
What should parents do if their child missed the visit?
Parents can use catch-up vaccination facilities at government hospitals, contact the helpline 1122, or visit their nearest immunisation centre.
