Sindh Launches Polio Booster Dose Campaign for 1.8 Million Children
The Government of Sindh has initiated a renewed polio booster dose campaign targeting nearly 1.8 million children up to 10 years old in 89 high-risk Union Councils. Scheduled to run from May 12 to May 24, the campaign aims to bolster immunity against poliovirus through the administration of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) drops along with an additional booster dose.
Health authorities have identified Karachi as a key concern due to its dense population, high migration rates, and repeated environmental detection of poliovirus, despite advances made across the country in poliovirus elimination. The city’s size and mobility challenges complicate public health delivery efforts.
Speaking at outreach activities related to the campaign, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab highlighted the difficulties faced in urban health service implementation. He emphasized the necessity of the booster dose in areas with persistent immunity gaps and cautioned parents against misinformation circulating on social media and informal channels. According to Mayor Wahab, false rumors are significantly undermining efforts to protect children from this preventable disease.
He also commended the frontline workforce involved in the campaign, including vaccinators, social mobilizers, sanitation workers, district administrators, and law enforcement personnel who work under challenging conditions to achieve comprehensive vaccine coverage.
At a formal inauguration ceremony held at the Sindh Secretariat, Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho personally administered booster doses to children alongside senior health officials. She reiterated that routine immunization supported by booster doses remains the most effective defense strategy, particularly in urban high-risk areas such as Karachi.
Dr. Pechuho described the booster dose as a globally accepted and evidence-based intervention, assuring parents of its safety and efficacy. She further stressed that eradicating polio requires collective responsibility involving families, educators, religious leaders, healthcare providers, and the wider civil society—not just government initiatives.
This campaign represents a critical step in Sindh’s ongoing commitment to polio eradication by targeting vulnerable populations and reinforcing immunity, which remains essential in the final push to eliminate the disease from Pakistan.