QUETTA: Authorities have arrested five parents in Quetta for refusing to vaccinate their children against polio in the anti-polio campaign launched nationwide on Sunday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched the nationwide anti-polio campaign for 2025 on Sunday (Feb 3-9) by administering polio drops to children under five. He expressed optimism that the dedicated teams would work day and night to eradicate the disease, and would reach the far-flung areas and villages, adding these teams would successfully meet the huge national responsibility by utilising their complete energies.
Assistant Commissioner Maria Shamoon, along with a polio team, visited different areas of Sariab. They managed to convince reluctant parents, and 15 children were vaccinated. However, five parents who repeatedly refused were taken into custody.
PM launches anti-polio drive 2025, vows to eradicate crippling disease
Pakistan recorded 68 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) by December 2024. The cases included 27 from Balochistan, 20 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Polio is a crippling disease with no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of routine immunisation for children under five are crucial to building strong immunity against the virus.