Over 23m children to be vaccinated

Punjab is all set to roll out this year's final Sub-National Immunisation Drive against polio on Monday, announced the head of the polio eradication programme on Sunday in a statement.

In Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, it will be a seven-day campaign, including two days allocated for catch up to reach the missed children. In rest of the districts, the campaign will last five days.

A total of 23.3 million children under five years of age will be reached for vaccination in the province, which represents half of the target population in the country's polio eradication efforts.

According to the statement, despite significant progress, the threat of poliovirus importation from regions still affected by the disease remains a major concern.

Over 200,000 polio workers will participate in the campaign, including supervisors, mobile and fixed teams.

The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre has deployed experts to assist in preparedness and ensure the smooth implementation of the campaign.

The province has faced challenges, including one confirmed polio case and 75 environmental samples testing positive, with a 22 per cent positivity rate.

Genetic analysis of the virus has shown both local and imported strains circulating.

The programme head emphasised the need for vigilance and swift action.