Over 41,000 Children in Karachi Refused Polio Vaccination Amid Ongoing Health Campaign

Parents Prevent Thousands of Children From Receiving Polio Vaccine in Karachi

In a concerning trend, more than 41,000 children in Karachi, Pakistan, have been denied the polio vaccine this year due to parental refusals during health workers’ visits, according to recent media reports. The provincial data indicates Sindh has seen a total of 42,999 refusal cases, with Karachi accounting for a staggering 41,875 of those cases, as reported by Dawn News.

Sindh’s Refusal Cases Reflect Growing Concerns Over Polio Eradication Efforts

In the remaining districts of Sindh, the number of vaccine refusals stands at 1,124. Irshad Ali Sodhar, the provincial coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), commented on the situation, stating that the refusal cases represent less than one percent of the overall eligible child population.

“As the country’s largest and most densely populated city, Karachi remains one of the most critical areas for polio eradication due to continuous virus detection in environmental samples and high numbers of refusals,” he explained.

Resurgence of Polio Cases Amid Vaccination Challenges

In a troubling development, Pakistan has recorded its third case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in 2025, highlighting the ongoing struggle to contain the disease. The latest case, reported from Larkana, Sindh, involves a 54-month-old girl. This marks the second confirmed polio case from Sindh this year, raising alarms about the effectiveness of current vaccination campaigns.

Pakistan faced significant challenges in polio eradication in 2024, recording 74 cases nationally, with distribution across regions: 27 in Balochistan, 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and 23 in Sindh, along with isolated cases in Punjab and Islamabad.

This week, @WHO is supporting Pakistan by mobilizing 17,500 vaccinators in priority areas in Karachi & 4 districts of Balochistan to protect almost 1 million children under 5 with the injectable vaccine against paralytic polio, using special pain-free jet injectors. #EndPolio pic.twitter.com/fuDnwHU0pb

— WHO Pakistan (@WHOPakistan) February 25, 2025

Nationwide Vaccination Campaign Faces Resistance

As part of efforts to combat polio, the first nationwide vaccination campaign of 2025 took place earlier this month.

However, resistance from certain community members has hampered progress. In a notable incident, the administration in Quetta arrested five individuals for preventing their children from being vaccinated during the campaign.

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