By our correspondent
KARACHI: The Government of Sindh has launched a renewed polio booster dose campaign across 89 high-risk union councils, aiming to vaccinate nearly 1.8 million children aged up to 10 years between May 12 and 24.
Alongside oral polio vaccine (OPV) drops, eligible children will also receive an additional booster dose intended to strengthen immunity against the virus. Health authorities say Karachi remains a key concern due to its dense population, high levels of migration and repeated environmental detection of poliovirus, despite broader national progress towards eradication.
Speaking during outreach activities linked to the campaign, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the city’s scale and mobility make it one of the most challenging urban environments for public health delivery. He described the booster program as a necessary intervention in areas where immunity gaps persist and urged parents not to be influenced by misinformation circulating on social media.
Wahab also warned that false information remains one of the most significant obstacles in the final phase of polio eradication efforts, adding that it is undermining efforts to protect children from a preventable disease. The mayor paid tribute to frontline workers, including vaccinators, social mobilisers, sanitation staff, district administration teams and law enforcement personnel working under difficult conditions to ensure last-mile coverage.
In a separate ceremony at the Sindh Secretariat, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho formally inaugurated the campaign by administering booster doses to children, alongside senior health officials including the provincial health secretary and the EOC coordinator.
