A large awareness rally in Hyderabad District marked World Polio Day as health officials, administration and community volunteers mobilized to push the Polio Eradication effort across the city. The march, led by Deputy Commissioner Zain-ul-Abideen Memon, began at Shahbaz Building and concluded at Post Master General Chowk with participants carrying banners demanding a polio-free future for children in the area.
The event featured key health and administrative figures including District Health Officer Dr. Pir Ghulam Hussain, Assistant Commissioner City Babar Saleh Rahputo, and Assistant Commissioner Latifabad Saud Ahmed, alongside vaccinators and local volunteers. Speakers used the platform to stress that achieving Polio Eradication depends on united action from citizens, government departments and community organisations.
Officials highlighted the urgency after recent provincial figures showed nine polio cases reported in Sindh this year, with one confirmed case in Hyderabad District. The Deputy Commissioner appealed to parents and civil society to cooperate fully with health teams and ensure every eligible child receives oral polio vaccine drops during upcoming campaigns.
Vaccine hesitancy was identified as a major barrier, with authorities reporting 421 refusal cases in the latest anti-polio activity in Hyderabad District and 345 of those still unresolved. To address these pockets of resistance, the Government of Sindh has issued constituency-level lists of refusal cases to Members of the National and Provincial Assemblies so elected representatives can engage directly with families to dispel fears and increase coverage.
The Deputy Commissioner described parents who decline vaccination as the greatest obstacle to progress and called for coordinated efforts across sectors to overcome misinformation. He reaffirmed that district and provincial administration resources are being mobilised to accelerate vaccination drives and work toward declaring Hyderabad a polio-free district in the near future.
