First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari today issued a national appeal for public support ahead of a massive polio vaccination campaign set to begin on December 15, aiming to inoculate 45.4 million children under five amid the high-risk winter season and in coordination with a similar drive in Afghanistan to curb cross-border virus transmission.
The week-long nationwide initiative, scheduled from December 15 to 21, seeks to vaccinate 23.3 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.3 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 2.66 million in Balochistan. The remainder will be covered in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory.
In her statement, the First Lady highlighted the increased risk associated with the winter months, noting that the poliovirus spreads more aggressively during this period and stressed that no child should be missed. She emphasized that the campaign”s success hinges on collective responsibility.
A workforce of 408,484 frontline polio workers will conduct a three-day house-to-house vaccination drive, followed by a catch-up day. In areas designated as high-risk, the campaign will be extended to five days with two additional catch-up days, employing Community-Based Vaccination and Special Mobile Team strategies.
Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari also called upon elected representatives, local government officials, religious leaders, and community elders to support polio teams, facilitate their access to communities, and assist in countering misinformation and vaccination hesitancy.
Recalling the legacy of her mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, she noted that Pakistan’s first nationwide polio eradication campaign was launched under her leadership in 1994. She shared a deep personal connection to the cause, remembering that her mother, as Prime Minister, administered the first polio drops to her, a moment she said shaped her lifelong commitment to the effort.
Operational readiness for the drive was reviewed at a national-level meeting on December 11, chaired by the Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination. Provincial Task Forces have also met to finalize security, logistics, and coordination, while technical experts have been deployed to high-risk zones for supervision and real-time support.
Concluding her message, the First Lady urged all citizens to welcome vaccinators, report any missed children, and support the frontline workers, stating that only united action can stop the virus and protect the future of Pakistan’s children.