Villagers reject polio vaccine over water supply issues

Residents of a village near Makli, Thatta, have refused to allow polio vaccinations for their children, citing concerns over their longstanding water supply issue.

The refusal took place at the shrine of Bulla Shah, where villagers, frustrated by unfulfilled promises, declared that they would not permit polio vaccinations until their demand for a reliable water supply was met.

They claimed to have repeatedly appealed to elected representatives, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Thatta, and the Public Health Department, but their requests were ignored.

The villagers stressed that despite multiple complaints, no action had been taken to resolve their water crisis. They firmly stated that they would reconsider their decision on polio vaccinations only after their water issue is addressed.

In response, the DC of Thatta, the Chairman of Makli Town Committee, and the DSP of Thatta visited the village to hold discussions and persuade the community to cooperate with the vaccination campaign. Officials are currently working on convincing the villagers to allow the administration of polio vaccines.

Meanwhile, poliovirus was recently detected in sewage samples collected from Mirpurkhas, Thatta, and Naushahro Feroze districts in Sindh. The samples, taken on December 23 and 24, tested positive for Wild Poliovirus Type 1, highlighting Pakistan’s ongoing struggle with polio eradication.

In 2024 alone, over 480 sewage samples tested positive for poliovirus, and 73 polio cases were reported nationwide. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) also confirmed a new case of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) in a female child from D.I. Khan, with the onset recorded on December 31, 2024.