Anti-polio campaign launched in Sindh on World Polio Day

KARACHI: Launching the province-wide anti-polio drive, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah announced the suspension of the ongoing provincial assembly session to allow all assembly members to actively participate in administering polio drops to children under five within their respective constituencies.
He announced the step addressing a meeting on the anti-polio drive chairing a Provincial Task Force, where he was briefed on the current polio situation and ongoing government efforts. 
On World Polio Day, the CM appealed to the parents to ensure their children are vaccinated against polio, underscoring the crucial role of community cooperation in eradicating this debilitating disease.
The campaign aims to vaccinate 10.6 million children under five with the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) across all 30 districts of Sindh, while 9.5 million children aged six months to five years will receive Vitamin A supplements. 
The drive will begin in the Mirpurkhas Division on October 25, with the remaining districts following on October 28. Approximately 80,000 frontline health workers are expected to participate.
Mr Shah said the initiative aims to build upon the anti-polio campaign initiated by former Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the disease. He ordered a zero-tolerance policy on refusal cases, urging parliamentarians, civil society, and religious leaders to play a more active role in this regard.
The meeting at CM House was attended by provincial ministers, health officials, police representatives, and members of various organisations involved in the anti-polio campaign. Addressing the meeting, the CM reminded the participants that the polio eradication drive was launched by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1994. 
"Thirty years on, we continue to face challenges in eradicating polio to protect the future of our children," he said. 
He mentioned that this year 40 polio cases surfaced across the country, including 12 in Sindh, 20 in Balochistan, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one in Punjab, along with 23 cases in Afghanistan. 
The movement of people between these regions has been a key factor in the spread of the virus, he added.
The Sindh government, in partnership with local and international organisations, reaffirmed its dedication to eliminating polio. 
Mr. Shah directed deputy commissioners to ensure that vaccines are administered to every child, warning that any failure to meet targets would be unacceptable. 
He also instructed SSPs to provide security for polio teams, with daily security updates to be submitted to the CM Secretariat.
The CM highlighted the progress made in the fight against polio, noting that the number of cases had fallen from tens of thousands annually in the 1990s to single digits today, giving the credit to health workers and effective government policies for it. 
However, he cautioned that the fight against the crippling disease remains ongoing.
Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho emphasised the importance of World Polio Day, affirming the provincial government’s commitment to ensuring every child receives the protective polio drops. 
She acknowledged that Sindh has recorded 12 polio cases this year, saying that while progress has been achieved, challenges still persist. 
She said the upcoming National Immunisation Days campaign, set to begin on October 28, aims to vaccinate every child under five and provide Vitamin A supplements to boost immunity, with a particular focus on high-risk regions.
Irshad Ali Sodhar, Provincial Coordinator for the Emergency Operations Centre, praised the dedication of frontline health workers, describing them as the backbone of the polio eradication mission. 
He expressed optimism that their relentless efforts would soon lead to the final eradication of polio in Sindh.
At the World Polio Day event, the CM and provincial ministers administered polio drops to children and distributed gifts, marking the commencement of the crucial vaccination campaign.