Karachi admin intensifies efforts to eradicate polio

KARACHI: Commissioner Karachi Syed Hassan Naqvi has said that the complete eradication of polio remains a top government priority; all stakeholders are working in close coordination to eliminate the virus from the city. Speaking during a meeting with Dr. Nahad Sadr Azodi, Immunization Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation here on Friday evening, the Commissioner said the city’s administration, Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), health authorities and all seven Deputy Commissioners were making concerted efforts to strengthen routine immunization and sustain anti-polio campaigns. Naqvi said Karachi had made significant progress, noting that environmental surveillance samples from 10 of the city’s 12 high-risk union councils have been recently tested negative for poliovirus, an encouraging development in the fight against the disease. He said routine immunization coverage had improved, with zero-dose coverage increasing by 15 percent, attributing the progress to the support of the Sindh government and the continued monitoring of anti-polio efforts by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah and Health Minister Dr. Azra Pechuho. The meeting reviewed measures to further strengthen routine immunization and discussed the role of district administrations in achieving a polio-free Karachi. The Commissioner thanked the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for its continued partnership and support in Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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