KARACHI: Recent environmental testing has revealed the presence of poliovirus in 10 out of 12 sewage samples collected from Karachi’s sewerage system last month, prompting the Sindh government to intensify and rigorously oversee vaccination campaigns across the province.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah convened a meeting of the provincial polio task force at his office on Tuesday to review the alarming findings. During the session, the CM expressed deep concern over the widespread detection of the virus in Karachi and neighboring districts, emphasizing the urgent need for a coordinated and disciplined approach to eradicate polio.
Data from environmental surveillance for November showed that 10 of 12 sites in Karachi and 11 of 17 in other districts tested positive for poliovirus. The Chief Minister termed this situation “highly concerning and unacceptable,” and called for high-quality vaccination efforts with a focus on effective coordination and community engagement to prevent further transmission.
The Emergency Operations Centre briefed the meeting that Sindh has reported nine confirmed polio cases in 2025 so far — three in Badin, two in Thatta, and one each in Hyderabad, Qambar, Larkana, and Umerkot. The last case in Karachi was identified in December 2024 in the Gujro area of the East district.
Officials highlighted that over 75% of sewage samples collected since mid-2023 have tested positive, marking the highest rate in over ten years and indicating ongoing environmental transmission of the virus.
District-wise performance reviews revealed that during the October national immunization campaign, 87% of vaccination lots passed quality standards, while 13% (27 out of 206) failed. The CM expressed dissatisfaction with these figures, instructing district administrators to remain fully engaged in field operations and warning against any administrative negligence.
He emphasized the importance of routine morning assemblies, maintaining full mobilization of frontline workers, and ensuring children are vaccinated during campaign days rather than relying on post-campaign follow-ups. District health officials were directed to enforce strict zero-tolerance policies regarding absenteeism and data falsification. Support teams at the union council level were tasked with resolving field-level challenges immediately.
The upcoming national anti-polio vaccination drive, scheduled from December 15 to 21, aims to immunize over 10.6 million children across 1,345 union councils in 30 districts. More than 80,000 frontline workers and over 21,000 police personnel—including nearly 400 women constables will be deployed to support the campaign. The CM stressed the importance of deploying police at morning assemblies and assigning women constables to high-refusal zones to improve access.
Karachi’s Central district and Sukkur were praised for their remarkable performance. Karachi Central mobilized 4,000 vaccination teams with support from NGOs and local authorities, while Sukkur completed a full assessment of its 300 AICs, replacing underperforming units and improving coverage in high-risk areas. The CM urged other districts to emulate these successful models.
The meeting also reported that 85% of children previously unvaccinated have now received the vaccine, but around 12,000 children still remain unprotected. The CM directed local authorities to resolve all refusal cases during the upcoming campaign and to follow up directly with families.He called for increased community engagement, effective messaging, involvement of local influencers, and a unified media strategy to build public trust. “Discipline, accountability, and public confidence are the keys now,” he stated. “No child in Sindh should be left unvaccinated.”
The session was attended by Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, IG Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, senior health officials, representatives from UNICEF, WHO, Rotary International, and other key stakeholders. Deputy commissioners and district officials from across Sindh participated via video link.
