CM reviews Sindh’s progress in fighting the poliovirus

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Provincial Task Force (PTF) on Polio Eradication and reviewed the province’s progress against poliovirus, noting that Sindh has reduced its polio burden from 23 cases in 2024 and nine in 2025 to just one case so far in 2026, while environmental surveillance shows virus circulation contracting to a few residual high-risk areas. Reaffirming the government’s commitment to eliminating the disease, the chief minister directed authorities to intensify vaccination, surveillance and community engagement efforts ahead of the September 21-27 Sub-National Immunisation Days (SNIDs) campaign. “The progress achieved by Sindh is encouraging and reflects the hard work of our health workers, district administrations and partner organisations, but our mission will only be complete when every child is protected, and the virus is eliminated from every district, ” said Murad Ali Shah. “No child should remain unvaccinated due to negligence, weak supervision or lack of follow-up. ” Briefing the meeting, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said Pakistan’s wild poliovirus (WPV1) cases have declined sharply from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025 and only three so far in 2026. Sindh has recorded a single case this year, reported from Sujawal on February 10, compared to nine cases last year and 23 in 2024. In-charge EOC Shahryar Gul informed that environmental surveillance data shows a significant reduction in virus circulation across the province. The number of positive environmental surveillance sites has fallen from a peak of 29 in March 2025 to only five in August 2026. Outside Karachi, all 14 surveillance sites are currently negative, while six of Karachi’s 15 sites remain positive, indicating that transmission is increasingly confined to limited pockets of the city. The meeting was told that the absence of confirmed polio cases in Karachi during the 2025 high-transmission season, despite some positive environmental samples, reflects stronger population immunity achieved through routine immunisation and repeated vaccination campaigns. Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah observed that sustained immunisation efforts have helped prevent clinical cases even where environmental surveillance continues to detect virus circulation. The meeting also reviewed special booster-dose campaigns conducted during 2026. EOC Coordinator Shaharyar Gul reported that nearly three million oral polio vaccine (OPV) doses and 2. 89 million booster doses were administered in Karachi, while campaigns in other divisions delivered approximately 2. 7 million OPV doses and 2. 58 million booster doses. Expanded-age vaccination strategies helped reach older children through schools and community-based interventions. The task force was informed that after the July 2026 SNIDs campaign, a special 10-day follow-up drive was launched to vaccinate children who had initially been missed. Of 146, 149 missed children, more than 23, 500 were subsequently vaccinated through targeted efforts focused on refusals and unavailable children. The meeting reviewed preparations for the September 21-27 SNIDs campaign, during which nearly 10 million children under five will be vaccinated across Sindh. The campaign will cover 23 full districts and selected union councils in seven partial districts, with more than 80, 000 frontline workers participating. Officials said over 26, 000 police personnel have been assigned for security duties. The chief minister reiterated the provincial government’s financial support for the campaign and noted that incentives for frontline workers had been increased by 28 per cent. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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