The goal was set to administer polio vaccines to 10.6 million children across the province.
KARACHI:
The last anti-polio campaign of the year in Sindh will begin today (Monday). During the seven-day campaign, more than 10 million children across the province will receive polio drops.
According to the Sindh Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), the last anti-polio campaign of the year will begin today and continue until December 21. During the seven-day campaign, the target was set to administer polio vaccines to 10.6 million children across the province.
EPI Sindh said wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 2015 and type 3 in 2019; however, wild poliovirus type 1 is still present and remains the most common and dangerous strain.
According to the Sindh Health Department, 23 polio cases have been reported in Sindh in 2024, while nine cases have been reported so far this year. These cases were reported from Badin, Larkana, Qambar, Thatta, Umerkot and Hyderabad districts.
Additionally, the presence of poliovirus was confirmed in 233 environmental samples from Sindh. EPI Sindh said foolproof security arrangements have been made during the campaign, with over 80,000 security personnel expected to be deployed.
Karachi administration finalizes arrangements
The Karachi administration has finalized arrangements for the polio eradication campaign, which will begin on Monday, December 21. During this campaign, more than 2.1 million children will receive polio drops and 26,000 polio workers will carry out their duties. Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi said the city administration, in collaboration with the EOC, Ministry of Health, UNICEF and other international organizations, planned the campaign to ensure effective implementation and achieve the set targets. It was decided that all institutions would make coordinated efforts to achieve the target.
