ISLAMABAD,26 June 2022:  The second Sub-National Immunization Days (SNIDs) campaign of the year 2022 launched to vaccinate 12.6 million children across Pakistan.

The campaign will start from June 27 in all four provinces, covering 25 very high-risk districts for polio across Pakistan to vaccinate over 12 million children of under the age of five. Over 100,000 trained and dedicated sehat muhafiz will be engaged in the vaccination drive to inoculate the targeted children at their doorstep. 

Dr. Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operation Centre emphasized that anti-polio campaign required deep attention and utmost responsibility to completely eradicate the poliovirus from the country. “Our aim is to ensure timely and repeated vaccination of eligible children. High risk districts are our top priority, and we are keen to eliminate the poliovirus from the challenging areas while protecting the rest of the region as well”, he said.

“I particularly urge all parents and caregivers to get their children vaccinated instead of hiding them or refusing to take the necessary drops during all vaccination drives. It is important to realize that the polio virus still exists in our surroundings and no child is safe until all children are truly vaccinated,” he added.

The Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline 1166 and 24/7 WhatsApp Helpline 0346-777-65-46 will be available to assist parents and caregivers in reporting missed children. The repeated polio vaccination campaigns are imperative for building immunity among children and preventing possible death or lifelong paralysis.

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Note for the Editor:

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free.

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with its neighbour Afghanistan.

For more information, visit our website - https://www.endpolio.com.pk

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Mr. Zulfiqar Babakhel, Media Manager, NEOC, 0345-9165937

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