Pakistan's September Polio Campaign Targeted 31 Million Children in 115 Districts
Pakistan's polio campaign ran 21 to 27 September 2026 in 115 districts for 31 million children. Cases now stand at 4. If your child was missed, call 1166.
Pakistan's September polio campaign ran from 21 to 27 September 2026 and aimed to give drops to more than 31 million children under five in 115 high-risk districts. If a team missed your child, call the free polio helpline 1166 and ask for a revisit.
The campaign covered parts of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad. Pictures of health workers giving drops to children in Lahore schools went round last week. We read the dates, the targets and the case count on the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme's own website, poliofreepakistan.gov.pk, on 28 September 2026.
One thing has changed since our last count. Pakistan now has four polio cases in 2026, not three. The fourth was confirmed on 11 September in Bannu.
The September polio campaign covered 115 districts
The September round was a sub-national campaign, which means it ran only in districts the programme rates as high risk, not in every district. It lasted seven days, from Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September 2026, and more than 273,000 frontline workers went door to door.
| Campaign detail | What the programme says |
|---|---|
| Dates | 21 to 27 September 2026 |
| Type | Sub-national, high-risk districts only |
| Districts | 115 |
| Children targeted | More than 31 million, all under five |
| Frontline workers | More than 273,000 |
| Areas | Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, KP, Punjab, Sindh |
| Linked to | A campaign in Afghanistan at the same time |
The programme announced the campaign on 15 September. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal opened it on 18 September at a meeting of the National Task Force for Polio Eradication, where he chaired on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The task force release calls it the fourth polio campaign of 2026.
Why 115? The programme sorts every district into four risk groups. It lists 20 districts as endemic or core reservoir, 66 as outbreak districts and 29 as risk reduction districts. Those three add up to 115, which matches the campaign's district count. The other 44 "maintenance" districts were not the focus this time. That link is our own arithmetic; the programme has not published the district list for this round.
Pakistan has four polio cases in 2026
Pakistan has confirmed four wild poliovirus cases in 2026: two in Bannu, one in North Waziristan and one in Sujawal. Three are in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. That compares with 31 cases in 2025 and 74 in 2024, on the programme's own district table.
The fourth case was a child from Nurar Union Council in Tehsil Miryan, Bannu. The programme says teams have not been able to reach children there regularly since 2025 because of insecurity. That is the pattern behind most of this year's cases. Children who miss drops again and again are where the virus survives.
The count year by year, and what it means, is in Pakistan's polio cases in 2026. The short version is simple. A falling count is good news, but one case means one child paralysed, and the virus still turns up in sewage samples. The task force release names the Karachi and Quetta blocks as places where sewage keeps testing positive.
Parents of a missed child should call 1166
If no team came to your home, or your child was out when they came, call the free helpline 1166. The programme also runs a WhatsApp helpline on 0346-7776546. Both numbers are on its contact page. Ask for a team to visit and give the drops.
Follow these steps if you think your child was missed:
- Ask whoever was at home whether a team came while you were out.
- Call 1166 from any phone, or send a WhatsApp message to 0346-7776546.
- Give your address, your district and the age of each child who was missed.
- Ask when the team will come, and note the date.
- Take your child to the nearest government health centre for routine vaccines as well.
Call soon rather than waiting for the next round. The programme's contact page lists 1166 for any query or help, but we could not find a published schedule for catch-up visits after this round.
Extra polio drops are safe for vaccinated children
Yes, give the drops again. The programme's own answers for parents say the oral polio vaccine is safe and every extra dose gives a child more protection. Its campaign release asks parents to vaccinate every child under five, even if they had drops before.
Polio drops in a campaign do not replace routine vaccines. Routine vaccines protect against other diseases that vaccines can prevent, and they come through the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), which works alongside the polio programme. Keep the vaccination card safe; a child's health records are easier to manage once the child has a NADRA B-Form.
Girls aged 9 to 14 have a separate free vaccine this year too, covered in the free HPV vaccine for girls. It is not part of the polio campaign.
The next polio campaign date is not announced yet
On 28 September 2026 the programme had not published the date of its next campaign, or the results of the September round. Its most recent release was from 18 September. For the May round, the results came out about two weeks after it began.
Here is what 2026 has looked like so far, from the programme's releases:
- February: first nationwide campaign, aimed at 45 million children.
- April: second nationwide campaign, 44.8 million children vaccinated.
- May: sub-national campaign in 79 high-risk districts, 18.6 million vaccinated.
- September: sub-national campaign in 115 districts, 31 million targeted.
Last year the fifth nationwide round started in December. We will not guess the next date. Your district health office or the 1166 helpline can tell you when teams are due in your area.
Common questions
When was the September 2026 polio campaign?
From 21 to 27 September 2026, in 115 high-risk districts across Pakistan, according to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme.
How many children did the campaign target?
More than 31 million children under the age of five.
What should I do if my child missed the polio drops?
Call the free helpline 1166 or WhatsApp 0346-7776546 and ask for a team to visit.
How many polio cases has Pakistan had in 2026?
Four as of 28 September 2026: two in Bannu, one in North Waziristan and one in Sujawal.
Is it safe to give polio drops again to a vaccinated child?
Yes. The programme says every extra dose adds protection and asks parents to vaccinate every child under five in every campaign.
Was Lahore part of the September campaign?
Punjab was included, but the programme has not published the district list, so we cannot confirm each district from its site.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 28 September 2026 at about 02:00 PKT. The campaign dates, the 115 districts, the 31 million target, the 273,000 workers, the provinces covered and the link with Afghanistan are from the programme's release of 15 September 2026 on poliofreepakistan.gov.pk. The launch by Ahsan Iqbal and the Karachi and Quetta sewage findings are from the National Task Force release of 18 September. The fourth case is from the release of 11 September, and the district counts are from the programme's district-wise case table. The 1166 and WhatsApp numbers are from its contact page, and the advice on extra doses is from its FAQ page. The school vaccination pictures from Lahore were reported and are not from the programme's site.
About the author
Author
Fajr Riaz is a well-talented author at Pakera.pk with expertise in creative content creation/writing and storytelling. Fajr's strength lies in creating engaging articles, detailed guides, and straight narratives that connect with readers and give meaningful insights. With her accurate attention to detail and passion for writing, Fajr has established herself as a pivotal pillar at Pakera and is invaluable.
