The year 2024 was one of the most challenging years for polio eradication efforts in the second biggest urban centre of Sindh amid allegations of negligence and incompetence hounding government officials. Repeated vaccination campaigns failed to stamp out the crippling disease as the virus not only persisted in the city's sewerage system but also disabled two children for life.
As per reports, the concerned officials failed to take meaningful action throughout the year to eradicate the virus. Instead of addressing the challenge head-on, the focal persons at the district and regional levels - working under the district commissioner and deputy commissioner - only offered false assurances to high-ups, creating the illusion of progress in the anti-polio fight.
In December 2024, a nationwide seven-day anti-polio campaign was conducted across Sindh, but it faced major setbacks in Hyderabad. Over 9,000 children under five years of age were left unvaccinated. Field officers appear to have covered up their shortcomings through forged reports. Monitoring committees revealed several instances where children were falsely marked as inoculated, despite not having received the shots. Moreover, officers misleadingly attributed the virus's impact to malnutrition, diverting attention from the failure of the vaccination campaigns.
However, no disciplinary action has been taken against the responsible officers or staff. The divisional commissioner and deputy commissioners have publicly stated that action would be taken against those involved in falsifying vaccination marks. However, as of yet, no steps have been taken to hold anyone accountable.
Meanwhile, those in charge of the polio campaign continue to claim success in public forums. At every meeting, the focal persons insist that "everything is fine," even as reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) highlight the persistent gaps in the vaccination process. Thousands of children, as pointed out in these reports, remain unreached by vaccinators.
In the final days of December 2024, alarming news emerged that the poliovirus was again detected in Hyderabad's sewerage system - indicating that the city was still deeply affected by the virus. According to a report from the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, Hyderabad topped the list of 26 districts in Pakistan that were affected by the poliovirus in December.
A seven-day vaccination campaign was launched later in the month. However, it failed to reach over 9,000 children, including 407 whose parents refused to get their children vaccinated. The efforts to convince these parents were also unsuccessful. In past campaigns, officers from the Sindh Revenue Department, with police support, were able to ensure that children received the shots, but this time, practical measures were largely absent. Apart from that, untrained volunteers appeared indifferent to the campaign which also affected its effectiveness.
As Hyderabad struggles to contain the poliovirus, the lack of accountability and failures of government officials trigger fears that Sindh's second largest city will remain a hotspot for the crippling disease.
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