The Government of Pakistan has launched a three-day anti-polio campaign across the country today on Monday.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a crippling childhood disease caused by the polio virus and preventable through immunization. Affecting mostly children under the age of five, polio — which has no cure and can only be prevented by giving a child multiple vaccine doses — can lead to irreversible paralysis.
A three-day anti-polio campaign begins in the four provinces from Monday.
In Punjab, the campaign will be carried out in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Faisalabad, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur districts.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about four point five million children up to five years of age will be administered anti-polio drops, during the campaign.
Similarly in Balochistan, anti-polio drops will be administered to more than 1.7 million children.
Special security measures have been taken for security of polio teams.