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Quetta, Balochistan – January 1, 2025 – A crucial seven-day anti-polio vaccination campaign has begun in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which has been the hardest-hit by the crippling disease, with 27 reported cases in 2024. The initiative, launched by the provincial Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), aims to vaccinate over 2.6 million children under the age of five against polio.
In a concerted effort to eradicate polio, more than 11,600 vaccination teams will be deployed across Balochistan to administer oral polio vaccines. The campaign will involve both door-to-door vaccination efforts and the establishment of fixed vaccination centers at public locations to ensure no child is left unvaccinated.
Balochistan EOC Coordinator, Inamul Haq, emphasized the importance of cooperation from parents, media, and the general public to ensure the campaign’s success. Haq also highlighted the necessary security arrangements made to protect the polio teams from potential threats while they carry out their duties.
“Balochistan remains one of the provinces most affected by polio, and we are determined to ensure every child is vaccinated,” Haq said, urging the community to actively support the drive.
The region’s involvement in the national struggle against polio has been urgent, as Pakistan, alongside Afghanistan, remains one of the last two polio-endemic countries globally. The country has seen a disturbing rise in poliovirus cases, with a total of 68 cases reported in 2024. Just days before the launch of this vaccination campaign, two new cases were confirmed in the districts of Tank and Kashmore, bringing the total for the year to 67.
The nationwide vaccination effort has ramped up following the surge in poliovirus cases. A large-scale vaccination drive earlier in December targeted over 44 million children in 143 districts, with the second phase scheduled for December 30, 2024.
EOC officials stressed that while the national vaccination campaigns are critical, localized efforts, such as the one in Balochistan, are key to controlling and eventually eradicating polio in Pakistan.
Polio remains a major public health challenge in Pakistan, despite efforts to combat it. The government and health organizations continue to conduct mass vaccination drives in a race against time to eliminate the disease completely. The most recent cases of polio were detected in Dera Ismail Khan, Karachi, and Kashmore, with the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication confirming the presence of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) in three children.
As the anti-polio drive progresses in Balochistan, health officials remain hopeful that the efforts will contribute to a significant reduction in polio cases and eventually lead to the eradication of this debilitating disease across the country.
