Punjab Launches Massive 7-Day Vaccine Blitz, Deploys 85,000 Teams to Immunize 23.3 Million Children

Lahore (Daily Pakistan Online) A province-wide anti-polio campaign is set to kick off in Punjab on December 16, aiming to vaccinate 23.3 million children. The campaign, which will run until December 22 in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad, and until December 20 in the remaining 33 districts, will deploy 85,000 mobile teams to administer polio drops.

Provincial Minister for Specialized Health Khawaja Salman Rafique chaired a meeting at the Civil Secretariat to review arrangements for the campaign. Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir attended the meeting via video link, emphasizing the need for continued joint efforts to control polio. Rafique stressed that polio eradication is a national agenda, requiring increased cooperation between provinces to achieve 100% coverage.

The campaign’s launch follows appreciation from international organizations for the Punjab government’s efforts to eradicate polio. With the presence of polio virus in environmental samples posing a significant threat, the provincial government is committed to improving the quality of the anti-polio campaign.