Sindh launches week-long polio drive to vaccinate 10 million children

The Sindh government has launched a province-wide, week-long polio vaccination campaign aimed at administering oral polio vaccine

KARACHI: The Sindh government has launched a province-wide, week-long polio vaccination campaign aimed at administering oral polio vaccine to more than 10 million children under the age of five.

The campaign began on September 21 and will continue until September 27 across all 30 districts of Sindh. During the drive, trained vaccination teams are visiting households to ensure that children receive the recommended two drops of oral polio vaccine and are protected against the crippling disease.

According to officials, around 2.4 million children in Karachi are among those being targeted during the campaign. Special arrangements have been made in the provincial capital and other districts to ensure that vaccination teams can reach children in densely populated urban areas as well as remote communities.

More than 80,000 vaccinators have been deployed across the province to conduct the door-to-door campaign. Authorities have also assigned around 26,000 police personnel, including women constables, to provide security to vaccination teams and facilitate their movement during the campaign.

Officials said the deployment of security personnel is intended to help ensure that vaccinators can safely reach households and carry out their duties without interruption. The teams are expected to visit homes repeatedly where children are unavailable during their first visit in an effort to reduce the number of missed children.

Health authorities have urged parents and guardians to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that every eligible child receives the two drops. Officials have stressed that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine are necessary because they help strengthen children’s immunity against poliovirus.

The campaign is being conducted amid continued concerns over the presence of poliovirus in Pakistan. Officials said four polio cases have been reported in the country so far this year, including one case from Sindh.

Health authorities have emphasised that vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to protect children from poliovirus, which can cause permanent paralysis. They have also appealed to parents not to rely on misinformation regarding vaccination and to allow trained health workers to administer the vaccine to eligible children.

The provincial government has directed relevant departments and district administrations to monitor the campaign closely and identify areas where children may remain unvaccinated.

Officials said closing immunity gaps is essential to preventing the virus from spreading and protecting communities, particularly children who have missed previous vaccination rounds.

Frontline health workers are playing a key role in the campaign as they travel from house to house across Sindh. Authorities have called on communities, local representatives and parents to support these teams and facilitate their access to households.

With the campaign continuing until September 27, health officials have reiterated their appeal that no child under the age of five should be missed.

The government has urged parents to ensure their children receive the two drops during the campaign, saying collective cooperation is essential for reducing transmission and moving Sindh closer to the goal of a polio-free province.