Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed the government’s resolve to make Pakistan a polio-free country as the country began a seven-day anti-polio vaccination drive to end the crippling disease in the country.

“We will not rest until we have permanently defeated polio,” he said while presiding over a meeting on polio eradication on Monday.

While commending the efforts of the government’s polio team in combating the disease, he directed the Coordinator for National Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Polio Focal Person Ayesha Raza Farooq, and the national health secretary to visit the most affected areas during the campaign.

The prime minister also directed to conduct a third-party audit of the anti-polio campaign. He stressed the need for developing a comprehensive strategy to address the immunity gap.

In the meeting, officials briefed the prime minister on recent polio cases and the eradication campaign. They added that the spread of polio was lower in areas with better vaccination rates.

The number of active polio cases in the country stands at 41.

Hesitancy, refusals

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that polio vaccine hesitancy and refusals remain major challenges for polio eradication efforts in the country, particularly in Sindh including Karachi and Hyderabad many parents refuse to allow their children to receive the oral polio vaccine (OPV).

As many as 10.6 million children under the age of five across Sindh’s 30 districts would be provided with vaccines. Additionally, 9.5 million children aged six months to five years will receive Vitamin A supplements to boost their immunity.

In Sindh, particularly in the cities of Karachi and Hyderabad, the CM said that a considerable number of parents are reluctant to permit their children to receive the OPV. He added that the challenge was “particularly severe in Karachi, where refusals account for 85 per cent of all refusals documented in Sindh.”

When asked, the chief minister said that his government has begun the deployment of government support teams, and engagement of parliamentarians, local council committees, and UC-level local bodies to support efforts.

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The CM said that 41 polio cases were reported in Pakistan this year, 12 of which have been in Sindh.

“To meet this challenge, 81,000 frontline workers will be mobilised to go door-to-door, ensuring that every eligible child receives the life-saving vaccine,” Murad Shah said and added that approximately 19,000 security personnel will also be deployed to safeguard the polio workers and ensure a smooth campaign.

For those who miss the vaccination during the campaign, the Emergency Operations Centre’s Sehat Tahaffuz Helpline 1166 or WhatsApp Helpline 0346-7776546 is available to provide assistance and information on how to ensure their child receives the vaccine.