Polio drive 2 to 8 November: 24 million children under five to be vaccinated in 97 districts

A week-long sub-national anti-polio campaign (SNID) starts across Pakistan on Monday, 2 November, and runs to 8 November 2026. Around 24 million children under the age of five are to receive polio drops in 97 selected districts, ARY News reported.

What the campaign covers

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal inaugurated the third sub-national immunisation round of 2026 by giving drops to children at the National Emergency Operations Centre in Islamabad. More than 200,000 frontline polio workers will work in the 97 districts from 2 to 8 November.

In Balochistan, the provincial Emergency Operation Centre says the drive begins on Monday in 31 districts and will cover more than 2.2 million children. Coordinator Inam Ul Haq said 8,888 mobile and fixed teams have been formed. He added that no new polio case has been reported in the province since November 2024.

Why it matters this year

Pakistan has recorded seven polio cases in 2026, five of the first six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the most recent was a six-month-old boy in Karachi. See our reports on the Karachi case and the Peshawar drive that began on 26 October for the local picture. The World Health Organization has also kept its polio travel rules for Pakistan in place, which affects anyone flying out.

What parents should do

• Have every child under five vaccinated again, even if they received drops in an earlier round. Repeated doses build protection.
• If a team misses your street, ask at the nearest basic health unit or union council office; teams revisit missed households during the week.
• Keep the vaccination card or the finger mark as proof. Travellers going abroad should also carry the polio certificate.

Campaign timings differ by district, so check with your local health department for the days in your area.