PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will launch a four-day immunisation drive tomorrow (Monday), targeting 4.6 million against poliomyelitis in 23 high-risk polio districts, including Bannu and North Waziristan, which have been recording the cases of the infectious disease for the last one year.

This year, Pakistan has recorded three polio cases, one from Sindh and two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including one each from North Waziristan and Bannu.

Of the 34 environmental samples in March, only four emerged positive for polio, including one each from Bannu and North Waziristan, according to results released by Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.

In 2025, of the countrywide 31 cases, 20 were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, mostly in southern districts. North Waziristan’s five children tested positive for the vaccine-preventable disease, whereas the toddlers hit by polio totalled four each in Tank and Lakki Marwat, three in Bannu, two in Torghar and one in Dera Ismail Khan.

The militancy-stricken southern belt in the province is home to polio virus, with health workers struggling to reach all under-five children eligible for oral polio vaccination.

The Emergency Operation Centre, which is spearheading the polio drive, has made elaborate preparations to ensure that all children receive drops and stay safe from disabilities.

A news release said that a meeting was held at EOC Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which took stock of the arrangements and gave final touch to the campaign.

Chaired by additional secretary (health) and EOC coordinator Shafiullah Khan, the moot was attended by officials of the health department and representatives of Unicef, WHO and other relevant stakeholders wherein the strategies were discussed thoroughly.

The drive to be launched simultaneously in all districts, including Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions, Abbottabad, Torghar, Lower and Upper Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Bajaur, Lower Dir, Mohmand, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Khyber, Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Karak for four days, while in Peshawar and Khyber, the campaign will continue for seven days till May 24.

Sharing details of the arrangements made for successful implementation of this campaign, officials told the meeting that 22,450 teams of trained polio workers, including 20,507 mobile, 1,113 fixed and 830 transit ones, have been deployed to administer polio drops to children in the selected districts.

They said 5,444”area in charges” had been appointed for the vigilant supervision of these teams to ensure that all children in the target areas are given polio vaccines.

The officials said in order to ensure foolproof security of polio teams during the campaign, around 35,000 security personnel have been deployed in the target areas.

They said that the current year had proved to be a success as far as vaccination of children was concerned.

The officials said in the last campaign carried out in April, NOC immunised 97 per cent of the target children, up from 96 per cent recorded in the first drive of 2026 in February.

They said the April campaign also saw reduction in the tally of missed children due to unavailability during the polio drive from 80,000 in February to 74,000.

The officials said in February’s campaign, the number of children who missed vaccination stood at 80,632 as they didn’t show up during the door-to-door drive. The last drive witnessed a dip in the number of missed children to 74,864.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2026