Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has inaugurated the polio booster dose campaign and administered polio drops to children at Lyari Football Stadium. The campaign will continue until May 25, 2026, in 89 high risk union councils.
On this occasion, the Karachi Mayor said that access to vaccines for every child is being ensured to eradicate polio. He stated that a safe and healthy future for children is their top priority, while KMC, the Health Department, and relevant institutions are united for the eradication of polio. He added that collective efforts are essential for a polio free Karachi and that anti polio campaigns are being made more effective across the city, including Lyari.
He said that administering polio drops to every child is a national responsibility and that negative propaganda should not be given attention. He urged the public to cooperate with the administration and said such propaganda must be rejected through actions and conduct. He also paid tribute to lady health workers and said the initiative has been taken to protect children from disability. He added that the decisions being made today will benefit the future and mentioned that both he and the Deputy Mayor had also received booster doses in recent days.
According to reports, during the campaign, booster doses will be administered to 2 million children aged between four months and 10 years in order to further strengthen their immunity and prevent the transmission of the polio virus.
Modern jet injector technology will be used in the campaign, through which the vaccine is delivered beneath the skin with high pressure without the use of needles. This method is being considered painless and more convenient for children.
The campaign is being carried out in various districts of Karachi, including Central, East, Keamari, Korangi, Malir, and West, while it is also being implemented in the Quetta block of Balochistan.
The polio campaign is being conducted in union councils where the presence of the polio virus has been detected in sewage samples.
According to American company PharmaJet, its Tropis system is being used in Pakistan’s polio campaign on the recommendation of the World Health Organization.
According to a study conducted in Nigeria, the number of children vaccinated through this technology was 11 percent higher compared to traditional methods, while costs were also reduced by up to 47 percent.
Experts stated that the purpose of this initiative is the complete eradication of the polio virus and providing additional protection to children in whom full immunity is not developed through polio drops alone.
