A polio vaccination campaign has kicked off in 39 districts of the country to vaccinate more than six million children under the age of five, after sewage samples in Lahore tested positive for wild poliovirus last month.

Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel encouraged parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are vaccinated in this and every campaign to protect them from the disability-causing virus and to stop it from gaining a foothold in their communities.

The polio drive will be held from February 13 to 17 in full in nine districts, including the seven endemic districts of Bannu, DI Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, Upper South Waziristan and Lower South Waziristan in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two districts of Punjab – Lahore and Faisalabad.