Anti-polio drive begins in Balochistan today

A week-long polio vaccination campaign will be launched in Balochistan, starting Monday (December 30), to innoculate over 2.6 million children under the age of five against the crippling disease.

Pakistan has witnessed an alarming rise in the spread of poliovirus and reported 67 cases of the crippling disease in 2024. Of these, 27 have been reported from the south-western province alone.

In light of the increasing threat, officials from the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has announced launching a fresh inoculation drive in a bid to eliminate the virus and protect young children from lifelong paralysis.

"We urge all parents to make sure their children receive the polio vaccine. Your cooperation is vital in safeguarding the future of our children," said an EOC spokesperson.

The authorities are hopeful that with the support of the community, Balochistan can see a reduction in polio cases in the coming months.

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, and the number of cases on a yearly basis had significantly dropped in the country, until the recent spike in cases.

Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme explains that polio is a “paralysing” disease with “no cure” and “the completion of the routine vaccination for all children under the age of five” just provides them “high immunity against this terrible disease”.

The government has launched multiple vaccination drives as part of its efforts to wipe the disease out of the country. The latest was the countrywide campaign, the last for 2024, earlier this month.

However, the country's rigorous efforts towards polio eradication face significant challenges, particularly in areas where insecurity, misinformation, and parental refusals hinder vaccination campaigns.

With over 60% of children affected by polio in 2024 having not received routine immunisation, health authorities established a high-level committee to improve coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).