Pakistan has launched its third sub-national polio campaign of 2026, a large-scale vaccination drive aimed at protecting millions of children in the districts considered most at risk. The campaign was formally launched on Friday by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal at the National Emergency Operations Centre, the hub that coordinates the country’s polio eradication efforts. It is scheduled to run from 2 to 8 November and will target around 24 million children.
The scale of the operation is considerable. More than 200,000 frontline workers are expected to take part, going door to door in communities across the 97 high-risk districts included in this round. These workers, many of them women, form the backbone of Pakistan’s polio programme, and their role involves not only administering drops but also answering parents’ questions, keeping records and returning to households where children were missed on a first visit.
This is the fifth large-scale campaign of 2026, a fact that underlines how intensive the eradication effort has become. Pakistan remains one of only a small number of countries where polio transmission has not yet been stopped, and repeated rounds are needed because young children require multiple doses to build full immunity. Each campaign therefore serves both as a fresh opportunity to reach children who missed earlier rounds and as a reinforcement for those already vaccinated.
The choice of 97 high-risk districts reflects a targeted approach. Rather than spreading resources evenly across the whole country in every round, sub-national campaigns focus on areas where surveillance, previous cases or gaps in coverage suggest the virus is most likely to circulate. That targeting allows health teams to concentrate workers, vaccines and supervision where the risk is greatest, while national rounds continue to provide broader coverage at other times of the year.
Health officials have consistently stressed that community trust is as important as logistics. Vaccination teams work with local leaders, teachers, religious scholars and health staff to encourage participation and to address rumours or hesitation. In many areas, the success of a campaign depends on whether parents are present at home, whether they understand why repeated doses matter, and whether they feel confident in the safety of the vaccine.
The launch at the National Emergency Operations Centre also served as a reminder of the coordination behind the scenes. Planning a campaign of this size involves vaccine supply chains, cold storage, transport, security arrangements for teams in sensitive areas, and daily monitoring of coverage figures. Supervisors track progress district by district, and teams are often redeployed to areas where coverage is lagging before the campaign window closes.
For families, the practical message is straightforward: children in the targeted districts should receive polio drops during the 2 to 8 November window, even if they have been vaccinated before. Health workers will visit homes, and parents are encouraged to ensure that all eligible children are available and to keep vaccination cards updated. Repeated doses are a normal part of the programme, not a sign that an earlier dose failed.
The wider context is Pakistan’s long struggle against polio, a disease that can cause irreversible paralysis in children. The country has made substantial progress over the past decade, reducing cases sharply from earlier peaks, but the final stage of eradication is often the hardest. The virus can persist in pockets, move across districts and reappear where immunity gaps remain, which is why sustained campaigns are still required.
Friday’s launch therefore marks another step in a continuing national effort rather than a one-off event. With around 24 million children targeted and more than 200,000 workers mobilised, the campaign’s outcome will depend on execution in thousands of neighbourhoods and villages over a single week. If coverage targets are met in the high-risk districts, it will strengthen the country’s position in its push towards a polio-free future. Health authorities are expected to share coverage updates as the campaign progresses, and parents in the included districts are urged to cooperate fully with visiting teams.
Source: Dawn, 31 October 2026
