KARACHI: Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal, accompanied by MQM-P leader Anis Qaimkhani, announced on Friday that a nationwide anti-polio campaign will begin on September 1 across three provinces, while Punjab’s drive will start on September 10.
He said polio virus had been detected in sewage samples from 127 districts, including all of Karachi, while 26 cases have been confirmed this year — 16 of them from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly its southern districts where security concerns hampered vaccination.
Kamal stressed that the only way to protect children is through repeated doses of polio drops, adding that all religious scholars and seminaries have endorsed the vaccine’s safety. He urged depoliticising the campaign and highlighted coordinated efforts with Afghanistan for synchronized drives. He pointed out that Karachi families remain most resistant to vaccination, though door-to-door efforts are ongoing nationwide.
On the flood situation, the minister said federal and provincial authorities are coordinating relief, with a Command and Control Room established at the National Institute of Health and NDMA teams in contact with the ministry. Kamal called for empowered local governments, transparent planning, and administrative reforms to ensure resources reach the grassroots.
