PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has set a target of vaccinating approximately 7.3 million children under the age of five during a five-day anti-polio campaign, which begins on Monday.

Chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah inaugurated the campaign during a ceremony held at the Services Hospital here, according to a press release.

Additional secretary health and Emergency Operations Centre coordinator Shafiullah Khan, representatives from Unicef and World Health Organisation, and other officials were in attendance.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, Mr Ali emphasised that polio remained a dangerous disease that could cause lifelong disability in children, placing immense emotional and financial strain on families.

He stressed that the presence of poliovirus in any area continued to pose a threat to all children, making it vital that every child received the vaccine during the campaign.

According to Emergency Operations Centre a total of 35,465 trained polio workers have been deployed, besides 32,155 mobile, 1,918 fixed, 1,225 transit, and 167 roaming teams.

Furthermore, 8,351 area in-charges have been appointed to ensure effective monitoring of the campaign.

Security arrangements have also been made to facilitate polio teams during the campaign.

In Bajaur, deputy commissioner Shahid Ali Khan on Friday emphasised the need for close liaison among health officials, elders, religious leaders and other stakeholders to

ensure the success of the anti-polio campaign.

He made these remarks during a ‘readiness meeting’ for the upcoming polio campaign, according to an official statement.

The meeting was informed that 270,000 children under the age of five would receive polio drops during the campaign, for which over 1,800 polio workers had been deployed.

M Ali directed the health officials to ensure that all participating doctors and paramedical staff were available throughout the campaign.

The meeting asked the district health officer to ensure that all polio teams had all basic facilities needed to perform their duties effectively.

In Dera Ismail Khan, deputy commissioner Abdul Nasir Khan chaired a high-level meeting to finalise preparations for the upcoming

National Immunisation Days campaign, scheduled to run from May 26 to June 1.

The meeting focused on ensuring the smooth and effective implementation of the polio vaccination drive across the district.

Key operational plans were reviewed and finalised during the session.

The deputy commissioner directed all the departments to ensure strict adherence to quality standards during the campaign, emphasising the importance of reaching every eligible child.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2025