The Karachi administration on 01-February-2025 launched a direct outreach campaign to engage parents who had refused polio vaccinations for their children in recent drives, in an effort to bolster polio eradication efforts.
The initiative aims to ensure full parental cooperation, so no child is left without the crucial vaccine.
In the first phase of this campaign, a list has been compiled of parents in District East who had previously declined polio drops.
Karachi Commissioner Syed Hasan Naqvi and Additional IG Karachi Javed Alam Odho met with these parents at the Deputy Commissioner’s office to address their concerns.
During the meeting, officials urged the parents to support the government’s and international organisations’ efforts to protect their children’s health.
Commissioner Naqvi emphasised that polio eradication was a national priority, stressing that Pakistan must take every necessary steps to eliminate the virus, which remained endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Also present at the meeting were provincial assembly member Rana Shaukat Ali, Soharab Goth Town Chairman Lala Rahim, DIG Police East, Deputy Commissioner East Abrar Jaffar, Coordinator of the Commissioner’s Polio Task Force Saued Yaqoob, community representatives, senior district administration officials, Emergency Operation Center Sindh representatives, and senior police officers.
Naqvi chaired a separate meeting to review preparations for the seven-day polio eradication campaign, which was set to begin in Karachi on Feb 3. Officials informed the meeting that the campaign aimed to vaccinate 2.7 million children. The commissioner directed district administration and health department officials to focus on addressing refusal cases and ensure 100 percent coverage.
Published in News Daily on 02-February-2025.