LAHORE: Anticipating the mass movement of people during Ramazan and Eid holidays, an Eid vaccination plan to curb polio virus transmission has been rolled out in 15 district of Punjab.

As a part of the plan, the Punjab government will deploy polio teams on the major exit and entry points, including bus stands, hospitals, shopping centres and railway stations to vaccinate children, from March 22 to April 10.

The decision to establish these “special transit points” was made to prevent the spread of the polio virus within the province and transmission to other regions.

Punjab Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Coordinator Adeel Tasawar says, “Transit polio teams will ensure that no child travels without receiving two drops of the oral polio vaccine.” This measure is particularly important given the anticipated mass movement of people between high-risk polio areas during the Eid holidays, he adds.

The special transit points have been set up in high-risk districts, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sahiwal, Okara, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Attock, and Gujrat.

These transit facilities will supplement the 23 permanent vaccination points already operating in these regions, which vaccinated over 2.2 million children in 2024 alone, the coordinator says.

In addition, Chief Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Uzma Kardar visited the Punjab EOC on Thursday, where she received an update from the Mr Tasawar, and the core team. She was informed that the number of polio-affected districts has increased to 12, with intense virus circulation reported nationwide.

Despite the rise in virus circulation, the EOC Coordinator emphasised that Punjab’s high immunisation coverage has contributed to a low incidence of polio cases, with no severe cases of full-body or limb paralysis being detected.

He credited the province’s success to the high immunity levels achieved through repeated polio campaigns and high routine immunisation coverage.

Ms Kardar emphasised that Punjab needed to refocus its efforts on Lahore, which has been a source of virus transmission to other cities.

“If the issues in Lahore are addressed, Punjab will be able to tackle most of its pressing challenges,” she stressed.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2025