Sindh to Launch Anti-Polio Campaign From September 21

KARACHI: (News Desk) – The Sindh government has announced a province-wide anti-polio campaign from September 21 to 27, targeting more than 10 million children under the age of five.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has written to media organisations, urging them to play an active role in raising public awareness about the vaccination drive.

The chief minister directed media outlets to dedicate the first 15 seconds of every hourly news bulletin to the anti-polio campaign and emphasise the importance of ensuring that every eligible child receives polio drops.

According to the letter, the campaign will cover all 30 districts of Sindh, with 23 districts fully targeted and seven partially targeted.

All children below the age of five will be administered oral polio vaccine during the campaign. Children who have already received polio drops during previous rounds will also be vaccinated again.

Murad Ali Shah stressed that the media had an important role to play in efforts to eradicate polio and called on parents and caregivers to cooperate fully with vaccination teams.

The letter stated that Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where wild poliovirus continues to circulate. The continued detection of poliovirus in environmental samples has also remained a concern.

The chief minister urged parents and caregivers to ensure that all children under five receive polio drops during the campaign to help protect them from the virus.