RAWALPINDI: The week-long anti-polio drive continued for the second day in 10 specific districts of Punjab, including Rawalpindi.

On the first day of the campaign, more than 1.78 million children were administered polio drops in Punjab.

During the seven-day anti-polio campaign, being conducted from May 18 to 24, more than 6.1 million children in 10 districts of Punjab will be administered polio drops.

This was stated by Punjab anti-polio programme focal person Uzma Kardar while addressing a press conference at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office. She said a polio-free Punjab was the guarantee of a safe future.

“Protecting every child in Punjab from a disease like polio is the top priority of the Punjab government,” she said.

Ms Kardar said the polio campaign in Rawalpindi was progressing successfully and parents were fully cooperating. She said protecting every child from polio was the Punjab government’s top priority and that the campaign was being carried out effectively under the special instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

She said polio teams were going door to door to administer polio drops to children under the age of five to ensure that no child was left unvaccinated. She appealed to parents to ensure that every child received compulsory polio drops, saying a polio-free Punjab was the guarantee of a safe future.

Ms Kardar said the district administration, health department and other relevant institutions were active in the field, while the campaign was being continuously monitored to achieve 100 per cent coverage. She appreciated the role of the media, religious scholars and civil society and said the cooperation of all sections of society was vital for the eradication of polio.

She said the geographical position of Rawalpindi was very important because a large number of people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other distant areas came to the city for employment and other matters.

Despite this, she said, achieving 98pc coverage during the polio campaign in Rawalpindi was a major achievement and reflected the excellent performance of the district administration and field teams.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2026