HYDERABAD: Hyderabad, the second largest city of the province, continues to struggle to eradicate poliovirus as its environmental sample remained positive for the month of March once again, throwing yet another challenge to health and administration officials.

Last year, Hyderabad had reported two polio cases. Sindh has currently four polio cases, out of countrywide six cases in 2025, according to Irshad Sodhar, Provincial Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Coordinator.

Hyderabad District Health Officer Dr Lala Jaffar said that results of environmental samples taken from all three locations in the city remained positive. “We are starting vaccination campaign from April 21 again in the city,” he said and added that “we have ensured teams remain present at the three locations of shopping malls during Eid days and Rani Bagh to administer polio drops to children”.

He informed that 36,000 children were given IPV (injectable polio vaccine).

According to Hyderabad deputy commissioner Zain Ul Abiden Memon, who is overall incharge for polio eradication campaign, said that even Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for Polio believed that these positive cases were attributable to frequent movement of travelers from core reservoir areas of Quetta, Karachi east, Keamari and Peshawar.

“In March, all three samples remained positive,” he said. Qadir Nagar pumping station, according to him, had been reporting positive sample since Nov 2023 while rest of two locations were reporting positive samples since April 2024.

Historically, Hyderabad reported positive sample four years back in July 2021 and then onwards it remained negative till November 2023. Since then, it has constantly remained positive.

The samples were collected at three designed sites in Latifabad Unit No.9, Qadir Nagar in Qasimabad and Tulsi Das pumping station in the city for environmental test of poliovirus through National Institute of Health (NIH).

“I think efforts are continuously made. It is news for me that the sample remains positive in Hyderabad again. Otherwise, we have achieved 103pc of target which is over and above the required number of coverage,” said divisional commissioner Bilal Memon on Wednesday.

According to him, the issue has been discussed with Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah as well. When polio cases were reported in the city it meant the virus survived here. “So positive environmental sample is a forgone conclusion,” he remarked.

He said that cold chain was being maintained and other performance indicators remained satisfactory. “We have given injectable polio vaccine as a booster dose as well,” he said.

Hyderabad has lately reported two polio cases. In 2019, two polio cases of WPV1 were reported in Hyderabad when two young girls namely Rubab Fatima and Memoona were struck by polio.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2025