HYDERABAD:
Despite repeated national anti-polio campaigns, Hyderabad has failed to achieve polio-free status by 2025, and more than 12,000 children were not vaccinated during the last national campaign of the year, raising serious concerns about official neglect and public resistance.
According to official sources, the persistent indifference of health department officials has once again derailed efforts to eliminate polio from the district. Even at the conclusion of the last national polio campaign in 2025, carried out amid the confirmed presence of the virus, 12,092 children under five years of age remained unvaccinated.
Health officials confirmed that Hyderabad reported the presence of poliovirus for the 11th consecutive time in 2025. A report issued by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad, based on environmental wastewater samples collected across the country, revealed that wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in Hyderabad during November, similar to several other cities in the country.
The report warned that the continued presence of poliovirus represents a serious threat to children’s health. Parents were urged to remain vigilant, ensure repeated doses of polio vaccine for their children and complete routine vaccination schedules on time to protect them from polio and other preventable diseases.
National data shows that during 2025, 30 children in 15 districts of Pakistan were affected by poliovirus. Of these, three cases were reported from Sindh, and the affected children belonged to Badin, Hyderabad, Umerkot, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot and Thatta.
Ironically, Hyderabad had previously achieved polio-free status thanks to effective administrative measures, and environmental samples had shown no traces of the virus. However, in recent years, the lack of sustained and effective anti-polio campaigns, coupled with a lack of accountability to negligent health officials and field staff, has allowed the virus to regain a permanent foothold in the district.
The seriousness of the situation is further underlined by the health department’s own post-campaign report of the fifth national polio campaign, conducted from December 15 to 21, 2025. The seven-day campaign failed to reach 12,092 eligible children.
Official statistics from the Hyderabad Health Department reveal that 11,486 children were excluded because vaccination teams found them absent from their homes. Meanwhile, 606 children were denied polio vaccines due to their parents’ complete refusal. The authorities admitted that efforts at the administrative level to convince these families were ineffective.
The report notes that most of the denials were recorded in cantonment areas and in various municipal jurisdictions, including TMC Hussainabad, TMC Mian Sarfraz, TMC Nerunkot, TMC Preetabad, TMC Qasimabad, TMC Sachal Sarmast, TMC Shah Latifabad, TMC Tando Fazal and TMC Tando Jam.
Public health experts warn that unless immediate corrective measures are taken, such as stricter monitoring of vaccination teams, accountability for non-compliance, and greater community participation, Hyderabad risks remaining a persistent poliovirus reservoir, undermining national eradication efforts.
