ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will launch a week-long anti-polio eradication campaign from October 13 to 19 that aims to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) announced on Monday.

The development comes amid a resurgence of the polio virus, with health authorities reporting 29 polio cases this year, according to the country’s polio program.

In the latest campaign, more than 400,000 trained polio workers will go door to door to administer anti-polio vaccine to children under the age of 5 years.

“During the campaign starting from October 13, children will also be given additional doses of vitamin A to boost their immunity,” the NEOC said in a statement.

“Parents are urged to make it mandatory for their children to be vaccinated against polio.”

Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains an endemic. Pakistan recorded 74 cases in 2024, a sharp rise from six in 2023 and just one in 2021.

Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted in attacks.