PAKISTAN – A nationwide polio vaccination drive in Pakistan was launched on Monday to curb the growing risk of the disease under heavy security, in a week-long campaign targeting to reach over 45 million children.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal inaugurated the drive—the third one this year—at a ceremony in the capital Islamabad, the Health Ministry said.

Over 45 million children below five years of age will be administered polio vaccination during the week-long campaign.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kamal said that the polio virus has been detected in the country’s 50 districts, urging parents to get their children vaccinated to save them from permanent disability.

Thousands of security personnel have been deployed across the country to provide security to the vaccinators, who have frequently been targeted by militant groups in recent years.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world.

Some militant groups often target polio vaccination teams, mainly in the border areas of Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

They see the anti-polio campaigns as part of an elaborate anti-Muslim and Western conspiracy and often issue death threats to vaccinators, many of whom are women, for administering the oral doses to children.

According to Pakistani officials, nearly 150 people associated with the drive have been killed across Pakistan since December 2012.

Last year, the country reported 74 polio cases, while 10 cases have been confirmed in 2025 so far.