Federal health minister urges action as vaccination refusals hindering polio eradication

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has expressed serious concern over vaccine refusals, stating that nearly 43,000 parents in Sindh — 42,000 of them in Karachi alone —have refused polio vaccination for their children, posing a major obstacle to the eradication efforts.

He made these remarks while visiting the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre for Polio (EOC) in Sindh to assess the ongoing eradication efforts.

He emphasised that polio could not be eliminated unless every child was vaccinated and directed the officials to compile a detailed report on vaccine-refusing families to strategise targeted interventions.

Upon arrival, he was received by EOC officials and briefed by Provincial Coordinator Irshad Ali Sodhar on the province’s current polio situation, ongoing vaccination campaigns and challenges in ensuring complete immunisation coverage.

“Polio eradication remains a national priority,” Kamal stated. “Achieving a polio-free Pakistan requires a modern, integrated strategy that addresses all challenges, especially vaccine refusals.”

Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the health minister pointed out that four of the six polio cases reported this year in Pakistan had emerged from Sindh. He reaffirmed the federal government's commitment to supporting Sindh in its polio eradication efforts and stressed that the cooperation of parents was crucial in eliminating the crippling disease.

He urged the families to ensure their children received polio drops during the upcoming National Polio Campaign in April. “With the cooperation of parents, we can rid the country of polio once and for all,” he maintained.

The minister also raised concerns over the continued presence of poliovirus in Karachi’s environmental samples, stressing the need for more effective community engagement and intensified vaccination efforts. “All stakeholders in Karachi are working together to devise a strategy that ensures no child is left unvaccinated,” said Sodhar.