HYDERABAD:
Despite repeated nationwide anti-polio campaigns, Hyderabad has failed to achieve polio-free status in 2025, with more than 12,000 children going unvaccinated in the last nationwide campaign of the year, raising serious concerns about authorities’ negligence and public resistance.
According to official sources, continued indifference by health ministry officials has once again derailed efforts to eliminate polio from the district. Even at the end of the last national anti-polio campaign in 2025, carried out when the presence of the virus was confirmed, 12,092 children under five were not vaccinated.
Health officials confirmed that Hyderabad reported the presence of poliovirus for the 11th consecutive time in 2025. A report released by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad, based on environmental wastewater samples collected from across the country, revealed that wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in Hyderabad in November, as in several other cities across the country.
The report warns that the continued presence of poliovirus poses a serious threat to children’s health. Parents have been advised to remain vigilant, ensure repeated doses of polio vaccine to their children and complete routine immunization schedules on time to protect them against polio and other preventable diseases.
National data shows that in 2025, 30 children across 15 districts of Pakistan were affected by poliovirus. Of these, three cases were reported from Sindh, with affected children belonging to Badin, Hyderabad, Umerkot, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot and Thatta.
Ironically, Hyderabad had previously achieved polio eradication status through effective administrative measures, and environmental samples had shown no trace of the virus. However, over the past few years, the absence of sustainable and effective anti-polio campaigns, coupled with the absence of accountability against negligent health officials and field staff, has allowed the virus to regain a permanent foothold in the district.
The seriousness of the situation is further underlined by the Ministry of Health’s post-campaign report on the fifth national polio campaign, conducted from December 15 to 21, 2025. The seven-day campaign failed to reach 12,092 eligible children.
Official statistics from the Hyderabad health department reveal that 11,486 children were not vaccinated because vaccination teams found them absent from home. Meanwhile, 606 children were denied polio injections due to their parents’ outright refusal. The authorities admitted that efforts made at the administrative level to convince these families proved ineffective.
The report noted that most of the refusals were recorded in cantonment areas and several municipal jurisdictions, including TMC Hussainabad, TMC Mian Sarfraz, TMC Nerunkot, TMC Preetabad, TMC Qasimabad, TMC Sachal Sarmast, TMC Shah Latifabad, TMC Tando Fazal and TMC Tando Jam.
Public health experts warn that unless immediate remedial measures are taken, such as stricter monitoring of vaccination teams, accountability for non-performance and intensified community engagement, Hyderabad risks remaining a persistent reservoir of poliovirus, undermining national eradication efforts.
