Sindh reports sharp decline in polio cases

Sindh has reported a sharp decline in polio cases, with only one case recorded so far this year compared with nine in 2025 and 23 in 2024, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday. Chairing a meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Polio Eradication, the chief minister said environmental surveillance showed that poliovirus circulation was increasingly being confined to a few remaining high-risk areas. He directed authorities to intensify vaccination, surveillance and community engagement ahead of the Sub-National Immunisation Days (SNIDs) campaign scheduled for September 21 to 27. "The progress made by Sindh is encouraging and reflects the hard work of our health workers, district administrations and partner organisations," CM Shah said, adding that the mission would not be complete until every child was protected and the virus eliminated from every district. Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho told the meeting that wild poliovirus type 1 cases in Pakistan had declined from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025, with three cases reported so far in 2026. Sindh's lone case this year was reported from Sujawal on February 10, she said. Provincial Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator Shehryar Gul said environmental surveillance also indicated a significant decline in virus circulation.