Vaccination of 100pc children against polio in KP still big challenge
PESHAWAR: Emergency Operation Centre Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has planned to accord priority to high-risk districts in the upcoming nationwide polio vaccination campaign due to consistent emergence of positive environmental samples from Peshawar which is frequented by people from those areas. Some districts bordering Peshawar may not have polio cases or positive samples for a long time but since the…
Peshawar, a hub of activity, is facing a significant hurdle in its quest to eradicate polio among children. The Emergency Operation Centre Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has earmarked high-risk districts, including Bannu and North Waziristan, for priority in the upcoming nationwide vaccination campaign. The focus on these areas stems from the consistent presence of positive environmental samples, indicating active circulation of the virus in the communities surrounding Peshawar.
The World Health Organisation collects samples from multiple sites monthly or bimonthly, with Peshawar's six sites yielding positive results in March, April, June, and July. Samples from Bannu have been positive since October last year, signaling an ongoing threat. Despite some districts bordering Peshawar having no cases for long, their proximity to a positive area warrants special attention.
Pakistan has reported three polio cases in 2026 thus far, two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in Sindh. In 2025, a total of 31 polio cases were recorded, with 20 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. The upcoming campaign's success hinges on addressing security concerns and overcoming vaccine hesitancy, as health workers currently reach over 97 percent of children, but still, a few miss out due to parental refusal or inaccessibility.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
