Pakistan’s sub-national polio campaign reached more than 29.3 million children across 113 selected districts, with thousands of frontline workers participating.

Pakistan has successfully completed its sub-national polio vaccination campaign, with more than 29.3 million children under the age of five receiving polio vaccine drops across 113 selected districts, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre.

The campaign was conducted from Sept. 21 to 27 across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan. More than 273,000 frontline workers participated in the nationwide vaccination drive to reach eligible children.

Punjab recorded more than 9.07 million vaccinated children across 11 districts. In Sindh, more than 11.4 million children received polio drops across 30 districts, making it the largest reported provincial vaccination coverage during the campaign.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 7.21 million children were vaccinated across 37 districts. However, access to children in southern parts of the province was affected by the security situation, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre.

Balochistan reported the vaccination of more than 2.32 million children across 32 districts. In Islamabad, more than 443,000 children received polio drops, while approximately 140,000 children were vaccinated in two districts of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The campaign focused on children under five, who remain the primary target group for polio vaccination efforts. The participation of more than 273,000 frontline workers was aimed at ensuring broad coverage across the selected districts.

The National Emergency Operations Centre’s figures highlight the scale of the latest vaccination effort, while the access challenges reported in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa underscore the difficulties faced by vaccination teams in areas affected by security concerns.