CM Murad Ali Shah applauds the success of February polio drive

Overall administrative coverage stood at 100 per cent

KARACHI (Feb 11): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has expressed satisfaction over the high coverage achieved during the first National Immunisation Days (NIDs) of 2026, noting that overall administrative coverage stood at 100 per cent, while house-to-house coverage remained strong at 99 per cent across the province.

The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) presented a detailed report on the provincial anti-polio campaign conducted from February 2 to 8, 2026, at the Chief Minister’s House on Wednesday.

Despite these encouraging figures, the report identified approximately 237,216 “still-missed” children (2.6 per cent), primarily in the Karachi and Hyderabad divisions. In response, the Chief Minister issued fresh directives to ensure that no child is left vulnerable to the virus.

“Eradicating polio requires a joint effort by parents, society, the media, and the government. If we all work together, we can save our children from paralysis and secure a healthier future for Pakistan,” the chief minister said. He added that elimination of polio was our national duty, and the Sindh government is taking all necessary measures to achieve this goal.”

The CM said, “The data clearly show that polio is under control, but the virus is still present, and complacency can reverse these gains.” He added that it was a cause of shame for us that there were only two countries in the world where this disease could be found - Afghanistan and Pakistan. Vaccination is the only way to get rid of it.

Murad Ali Shah directed health departments to intensify outreach in urban centres like Karachi and Hyderabad to reach the remaining missed children. He instructed the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) to prioritise follow-up activities for “zero-dose” children to strengthen their immunity. Deputy Commissioners were told to maintain active monitoring at the union council level to address any localised gaps in coverage.

The CM requested media houses to continue featuring polio awareness messages at the start of news bulletins to maintain public demand for the vaccine. He directed local union council representatives and religious scholars to counsel families still hesitant to vaccinate their children.

Reviewing the report, Murad Ali Shah stressed that complete eradication of polio is essential for a healthy future, linking the disease’s elimination directly to the physical growth and well-being of children. He reiterated his government’s firm resolve to continue efforts until polio is fully eradicated, stating that no compromise would be made on children’s health.

According to the report, 100 per cent administrative coverage of the anti-polio campaign was achieved across Sindh. Door-to-door coverage stood at 99 per cent, while recall coverage was recorded at 94 per cent. However, around 237,000 children (just over 2.6 per cent) were still missed during the campaign.

The Chief Minister directed that immediate access to unvaccinated children must be treated as a top priority and ordered strict and urgent measures to ensure complete immunisation. He also warned district administrations to improve performance and instructed officials to further tighten monitoring and implementation mechanisms.

Division-wise coverage: Karachi Division recorded 101 per cent administrative coverage, with 97 per cent door-to-door coverage and a 4.6 per cent missed-children rate.

Hyderabad Division achieved 99 per cent administrative and door-to-door coverage, with 2.4 percent missed children.

Mirpurkhas Division reported 101 per cent administrative coverage and 100 percent door-to-door coverage, with a 2 per cent missed rate. • Larkana Division recorded 99 per cent administrative and door-to-door coverage, with 2.2 percent missed children. Sukkur Division achieved 99 per cent administrative and door-to-door coverage, with a 2 per cent missed rate. Shaheed Benazirabad Division achieved 100 per cent administrative and door-to-door coverage, with only 1 percent missed children.

The Chief Minister decided to continuously review polio campaign performance at the provincial level and emphasised that any negligence in the fight against polio would not be tolerated.

Appealing to parents, Murad Shah urged them to ensure that their children receive polio drops during every campaign to protect them from lifelong disability, reaffirming that the Sindh government remains fully committed to achieving a polio-free province.