Karachi, September 20, 2026: Pakistan’s September polio vaccination campaign was formally inaugurated at the Rotary Club of Karachi Community Centre in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Sunday, ahead of a nationwide effort targeting 31 million children under the age of five.
The September Sub-National Immunization Days (SNIDs) will be conducted from September 21 to 27 across 115 high-risk districts in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by National Chair of the PolioPlus Committee Aziz Memon, a Past Trustee of The Rotary Foundation, alongside Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Focal Person Dr Ahmad Ali Shaikh, Rotary District 3271 Governor Shahzad Sabir and District Governor-Elect Fahad Sikandar.
Humayun Qureshi, President of the Rotary Club of Karachi, and several Rotarians also participated in the ceremony.
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The upcoming campaign will focus on children below five years of age, who remain the primary target group for efforts to prevent the transmission of poliovirus. Health teams will visit communities across the designated districts to administer oral polio vaccine doses.
Three large-scale nationwide campaigns have already been conducted in Pakistan since the beginning of 2026, reaching around 45 million children, according to the organisers.
In selected high-risk areas, health authorities have combined oral polio vaccine (OPV) with fractional doses of injectable polio vaccine (fIPV) to strengthen immunity among vulnerable children, including those affected by malnutrition.
Speaking at the inauguration, Aziz Memon described polio eradication as a collective responsibility and urged parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive recommended polio and routine immunization doses.
“Polio eradication is a collective responsibility,” Memon said, emphasising the role of families in protecting children from the disease.
He also highlighted the contribution of Rotary volunteers and community partners in supporting frontline vaccination workers. According to Memon, Rotarians assist vaccination teams, monitor National Immunization Days (NIDs) and SNIDs in their respective districts, engage community leaders and work to address misinformation surrounding polio vaccination.
Community engagement remains an important part of Pakistan’s eradication efforts, particularly in areas where misinformation and misconceptions about vaccination can affect campaign participation.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus transmission has not been eliminated. Pakistan has made significant progress over the years, although the continued detection of poliovirus means vaccination campaigns remain an important component of the country’s public-health response.
The September SNIDs are intended to strengthen immunity among children in areas considered vulnerable to poliovirus transmission and help prevent the spread of the disease.
Health authorities and campaign partners have urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that every eligible child receives the recommended polio vaccine during the campaign.
The campaign will continue across the targeted districts from September 21 to 27, with frontline workers expected to reach children under five in communities, households and other designated locations.
