LAHORE: The Punjab Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has announced that all arrangements are in place for the upcoming fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV) campaign scheduled from November 3 to November 12 across 122 union councils of Lahore.
During the campaign, all children aged 4 months to 15 years will receive the fractional inject able polio vaccine. According to registration data compiled by health staff in the targeted union councils, the campaign aims to reach a household target of 1.6 million children. More than 12,500 frontline workers—including outreach teams, fixed-site teams, community mobilizers, AICs and UCMOs—will participate in the drive.
On Friday, EOC Coordinator Adeel Tasawur chaired a comprehensive readiness and review meeting to assess the Lahore district team’s level of preparedness. He urged the district administration to prioritize training of skilled vaccinators and ensure proper orientation on the use of injectors for vaccine administration.
“A single dose of fIPV serves as an effective booster in previously immunized individuals, helping restore waning mucosal protection,” said Tasawur. “Expanding the target group up to 15 years of age is a critical step in interrupting WPV transmission driven by re-infected individuals.”
He added that strengthening mucosal immunity in partially immune populations may also counteract the evolutionary changes in WPV1 that reduce natural protection.
Highlighting the importance of urgency, Tasawur noted: “History reminds us that the final stretch of eradication is often the most challenging. Even the slightest complacency can undo years of progress. Despite the immense challenges posed by recent floods, the onset of winter provides a crucial opportunity to break remaining transmission barriers in core reservoirs across the country.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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