First Woman Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. Photograph: File
First Woman Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari on Sunday known as on households and communities throughout Pakistan to totally cooperate with the upcoming nationwide polio vaccination marketing campaign, scheduled to start on April 13, and make sure that each youngster was protected against the illness.
The marketing campaign goals to vaccinate over 45 million kids beneath the age of 5 throughout all provinces and areas as a part of the continued nationwide effort to eradicate polio.
In an announcement issued on Sunday, Aseefa stated Pakistan stood at a important juncture in its struggle in opposition to the virus, including that years of sustained efforts had introduced the nation nearer to eradication, with the approaching part representing the ultimate stretch wherein reaching each youngster was important.
Learn: ‘Pakistan nearer than ever to eradicating polio’
From April 13 to 19, greater than 200,000 frontline well being employees will conduct door-to-door visits throughout city centres in addition to distant communities. Through the drive, kids shall be administered polio drops together with Vitamin A supplementation to assist immunity and wholesome progress.
She highlighted measurable progress, noting that whereas 31 circumstances of polio have been reported nationwide in 2025, just one case was recorded to this point this yr. Nonetheless, she cautioned that the specter of the illness continued.
She burdened the necessity for consistency, urging mother and father and caregivers to make sure their kids obtain vaccination throughout each marketing campaign, together with routine immunisation.
The marketing campaign will even be carried out in coordination with Afghanistan, reflecting a shared dedication to interrupt cross-border transmission and shut remaining gaps.
Aseefa acknowledged the contribution of frontline employees, saying their continued efforts remained central to reaching each family.
She known as for collective resolve, emphasising that ending polio was now inside attain and depended on the participation of fogeys, households, communities and establishments alike, including that no youngster ought to be left behind.
Through the drive, kids will obtain polio drops together with vitamin A dietary supplements.
Since 1994, Pakistan has lowered polio circumstances by 99.8%, from an estimated 20,000 circumstances within the early Nineteen Nineties to 31 circumstances in 2025, due to widespread vaccination efforts.
In 2025, the PEI carried out 5 nationwide campaigns together with focused vaccination rounds and routine immunisation integration.
Additionally Learn: First wild polio case of 2026 confirmed in Sindh
Whereas general detections have declined in comparison with 2024, virus circulation persists in high-risk districts of Sindh and southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, highlighting the necessity for continued, focused vaccination campaigns.
Polio is a extremely contagious illness that may trigger lifelong paralysis and dying, however is preventable by means of secure and efficient vaccines utilized in 195 international locations, together with all Muslim-majority nations.
Wild poliovirus is the naturally occurring type of the poliovirus that spreads from individual to individual, primarily by means of contaminated meals, water, or contact with contaminated people. It may assault the nervous system and, in extreme circumstances, trigger everlasting paralysis or dying. A wild polio case refers to an an infection brought on by this naturally circulating virus, versus uncommon circumstances linked to vaccine-derived strains.
