Persistent virus keeps Sindh on edge as new polio drive begins
Province contributes nearly a third of national cases; CM urges collective effort for virus elimination IV Report KARACHI: With nine new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) so far in 2025—accounting for 31 per cent of Pakistan’s overall tally—Sindh has launched another province-wide campaign targeting 10.6 million children under five, as part of the national oral polio vaccination (OPV) drive that began on October 13. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah , accompanied by Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and other dignitaries, inaugurated the week-long campaign at the KMC Maternity Home in Gizri by administering drops to newborns and young children. “ Polio elimination is our moral responsibility. Every child deserves a healthy and safe future, ” Mr Shah told reporters, expressing concern over the continued detection of the virus in environmental samples and the province’s nine confirmed cases this year. Reaffirming the government’s resolve—supported by WHO, UNIC...