Pakistan Vaccinates 17.41 Million Children in First Phase of Polio Drive

Pakistan’s Health Ministry reported Wednesday that 17.41 million children up to the age of 5 had been vaccinated against polio in the first phase of the ongoing drive against the disease. Health workers administered the vaccine to children in schools and homes through a door-to-door vaccination campaign in Islamabad, Punjab, and Sindh provinces. The first phase of the drive ran from March 13 to March 17. Over 4.12 million more children are expected to be vaccinated between April 3 and April 7 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. Polio, a highly infectious disease, can cause paralysis and even death. Pakistan is one of the two remaining countries, along with Afghanistan, where the disease is still endemic. The country has been battling to eradicate the disease for several years, but vaccine refusal and attacks on health workers have hampered progress.