Last anti-polio drive of 2024 kicks off

Week-long campaign targets 10 million under-five children

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah inaugurated a new polio eradication campaign across the province, running from December 16 to December 22, 2024, by immunising children at NJV School on Monday. He also encouraged the polio vaccination teams urging them to take their task as a classroom activity.

The event was attended by Secretary of Health Rehan Baloch, Commissioner Karachi Hassan Naqvi, Additional IG Karachi Javed Alam Odho, Coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Irshad Sodhar, and school administrators.

This vaccination campaign, last in the current year, aims to immunise approximately 10.6 million children under the age of five against the poliovirus.

The CM specifically mentioned that more than 80,000 frontline workers are participating, going door-to-door to ensure that no child is overlooked. "I have deployed 15,000 security personnel across Sindh to provide a safe environment for the teams," he stated. CM Shah highlighted the urgency of the situation, noting that 63 children in Pakistan have contracted polio this year, including 17 from Sindh. "The situation remains critical, with most environmental samples testing positive for the virus, indicating ongoing transmission," he explained.