Week-long drive against polio kicks off in Karachi

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KARACHI: Facing persisting challenges, the Sindh government on Monday launched a week-long anti-polio campaign, targeting 2.5 million children under the age of five. A formal launch was organised at the Model EPI Centre, National Institute of Child Health, where Commissioner Syed Hasan Naqvi administered polio drops to children, urging parents to welcome vaccination teams and get their child protected against the crippling disease. According to EOC-Sindh officials, all children under five should receive polio drops during campaigns, even if they were vaccinated before. Karachi, they say, has seen its strongest environmental surveillance results since August 2023 with 11 out of 12 environmental samples testing negative for poliovirus. The positive sample was collected from District East. Across Sindh, 28 of 29 environmental surveillance sites have tested negative for poliovirus. “Recent progress is encouraging but the virus has not yet been eliminated. High vaccination coverage remains essential to interrupt poliovirus transmission,” an EOC-Sindh official said, adding Karachi’s large mobile population meant every vaccination campaign remained critical. Repeated doses, she pointed out, strengthened immunity and helped stop the spread of poliovirus and that the oral polio vaccine was safe, effective and recommended by health experts worldwide. “Parents are encouraged to rely on verified information and avoid misinformation about the polio vaccine,” she said, adding that the Pakistan Paediatric Association (Sindh) and other medical bodies had extended support to the campaign and urged parents to vaccinate every eligible child. A total of 26,000 polio workers are taking part in the drive, which will continue till July 12. As many as 7,000 policemen have been deputed for security of the front-line workers in all areas of the metropolis. The commissioner had recently directed the polio workers to focus intensely on vaccinating children who have been missed or whose parents refused the vaccine. Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2026

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