Parental refusals prevented more than 41,800 children in Karachi from receiving the polio vaccine this year, which had a major effect on Sindh’s 42,999 refusal cases overall. This indicates that over 97% of vaccine refusals in the province occur in Karachi.
Although refusal cases make up less than 1% of the eligible child population, Karachi’s dense population and frequent movement contribute to the ongoing detection of poliovirus in environmental samples, according to Irshad Ali Sodhar, the provincial coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). Because of this, the city is crucial to the fight to eradicate polio.
Health officials have enlisted 2,799 medical facilities, more than 2,900 educational institutions, and 3,442 community influencers, such as educators and religious leaders, to encourage immunization in an effort to overcome vaccine hesitancy. These programs seek to lower rejection rates and foster community trust.
Despite these initiatives, problems still exist. About 92,600 parents in Karachi refused to give their children polio drops during a recent seven-day polio eradication campaign, while 197,461 youngsters were not able to be reached because of a number of logistical problems.
Along with Afghanistan, Pakistan is still one of the two nations where polio is still a major problem. As of November 22, 2024, there have been 52 confirmed cases of polio nationwide, with 13 of those cases occurring in Sindh.
Health authorities continue to urge parents to vaccinate their children, emphasizing that each vaccination brings the nation closer to eradicating polio and protecting future generations from this preventable disease.
