Karachi — The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has declared a major breakthrough in Karachi’s fight against polio. The first round of the synchronized fIPV and OPV campaign has been completed and more than 95% coverage has been achieved in 40 high-risk and super high-risk UCs. The campaign was initiated on August 15, 2025, to safeguard children in these sensitive sectors. The statistics revealed that by the fifth day, 509,869 children out of 537,638 targeted children had been administered the fractional dose of the polio vaccine through jet injectors. Also, OPV drops were given to 540,093 children under five years out of the 569,835 target. The success of the campaign was described by Irshad Ali Sodhar, the Provincial Coordinator for the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Sindh. “During the first phase, our teams have been able to vaccinate more than 95% of children in the first 40 UCs Our second phase begins tomorrow and will cover the remaining 500,000 children in 45 UCs,” Sodhar said.
The campaign was successful in many of the districts that were targeted. In Orangi Town, the coverage of fIPV vaccination was 101% and OPV was 100% which was above the target. The same was the case with Karachi West and South where almost all children were vaccinated. The campaign faced some challenges at the beginning of the implementation, but the efforts of the team leaders and volunteers enhanced the progress of the IPV vaccine. The drive was overseen by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Health Minister Dr. Azra Pechuho, and others. The second phase of the campaign will be to target another half a million children in the future. The Provincial EOC charge has called on parents to ensure that their children take the oral and injectable vaccines. In the case of IPV, painless jet injectors are used to reduce the discomfort that children are likely to experience. The first phase of the polio vaccination campaign is a significant progress towards the eradication of polio in Karachi. In the course of the campaign, the support of the community is still vital in eradicating polio from the world.