LAHORE: Punjab aims to vaccinate 11.17 million children under the age of five, including in flood-affected districts, in a special polio drive starting Sept 1.

The special drive was announced at a high-level virtual meeting chaired by Punjab Coordinator Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Adeel Tasawur with district health authorities on Thursday.

Attended by officials from 16 districts, the meeting reviewed preparations for the upcoming polio eradication campaign. Participating districts include Attock, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Mianwali, Multan, Okara, Rawalpindi, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot, DG Khan, Kasur, Lahore, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, and Sheikhupura. Out of these, the campaign will be conducted in selected areas of 10 districts — Attock, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Mianwali, Multan, Okara, Rawalpindi, Rahim Yar Khan, and Sialkot — while in the remaining districts it will cover the entire population.

The drive will run from Sept 1 to 7 in Lahore and from Sept 1 to 4 in the 15 other districts. The campaign aims to vaccinate 11.17 million children by nearly 94,000 frontline health workers.

Mr Tasawur sought detailed updates about the preparedness amid floods and rains, especially in riverine areas.

District authorities reported varying degrees of impact and reaffirmed that the campaign would continue at all costs, even if boats were to be used to reach children in flood-affected areas.

Addressing the officials, Mr Tasawur said, “Polio eradication is the government’s top priority, and every possible measure is being taken. Vaccination campaigns have proven effective in stopping the spread of polio; gaps or delays can allow the virus to spread. Every child must receive the polio vaccine, regardless of the situation — floods will not stop us from protecting children.”

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2025