A large-scale anti-polio initiative targeting more than 2.6 million children has commenced across Balochistan, spurred by the detection of the poliovirus in environmental samples despite the province reporting no human cases for the past 15 months. The presence of the virus in two districts underscores a persistent threat to the region”s youth.
The immunisation drive was officially inaugurated by Balochistan Chief Minister, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, on Tuesday.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Minister stated that while significant achievements in polio eradication were made in 2025, the current year is extremely important for the complete elimination of the virus at the environmental level.
The extensive public health effort will be carried out by 11,000 teams, which include 822 fixed and 474 transit teams to ensure comprehensive coverage across the province.
Mr Bugti highlighted the ongoing risk, noting that Balochistan”s young children can be affected by the poliovirus at any time, which makes it essential for the anti-polio drive to succeed.
He issued an appeal to parents, urging them to get their children vaccinated and affirming that protecting the health of children was a “collective responsibility.”
While no new polio cases have been reported in Balochistan in the last 15 months, the renewed eradication effort was prompted by environmental surveillance that detected the virus in samples from two of the province”s 23 districts.