Over 22.1m children vaccinated during first 4 days

ISLAMABAD – More than 22. 1 million children have been vaccinated against polio during the first four days of the ongoing sub-national immunisation campaign being conducted in 97 selected districts across the country, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said on Friday. The fifth day of the campaign is underway, with vaccination activities continuing uninterrupted until November 8. Approximately 24 million children under five years of age are being targeted during the campaign, which is being carried out with the participation of more than 200, 000 frontline polio workers. According to the NEOC, the campaign is being conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan to strengthen regional efforts against the crippling disease and prevent the transmission of poliovirus across borders. Provincial and regional vaccination figures showed that 8. 535 million children had received polio drops in 13 selected districts of Punjab, while more than 6. 382 million children were vaccinated in 20 selected districts of Sindh. Similarly, over 4. 429 million children were vaccinated in 27 selected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), while 2. 008 million children received polio drops in 31 selected districts of Balochistan. In Islamabad, more than 450, 000 children were vaccinated, while approximately 160, 000 children received polio drops in three selected districts of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). In Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), around 192, 000 children were vaccinated in two selected districts during the first four days of the campaign. The NEOC warned that the threat of poliovirus persisted across the country and stressed that polio was an incurable disease, with vaccination remaining the only effective way to protect children against lifelong disability. KMU holds quality awards ceremony to recognize academic excellence

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