Authorities in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday launched anti-polio campaigns, targeting vaccination of millions of children under the age of five in a renewed effort to eradicate the virus.

In Punjab, a week-long campaign will be observed in Lahore, while a four-day drive is being conducted in other districts.

Authorities aim to vaccinate more than 23.3 million children across Punjab during the campaign.

Over 200,000 health workers and supervisors have been deployed to administer the polio vaccine, who will be supported by additional specialists to ensure effective implementation.

Officials said that significant progress has been made against polio in recent months, with the presence of poliovirus in Punjab dropping sharply.

Officials said the presence of poliovirus in environmental samples has declined to just 1%, down from 26% in December 2025 and 56% in August 2025.

Authorities further stated that the presence of the polio virus in South Punjab has now reached zero, calling it a major public health achievement.

Officials said the campaign in Punjab will continue until polio is completely eradicated and urged parents to ensure that all children receive vaccination during every drive.

Meanwhile, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a four-day anti-polio campaign has also been launched across all districts, running from April 13 to April 16.

Health authorities said the province-wide drive aims to vaccinate around 6.5 million children.

For the campaign, 35,500 vaccination teams have been constituted, while 50,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure the security of polio workers.

Officials said that special arrangements have been made to ensure a smooth execution of the campaign across the province and to reach every eligible child.