The September Sub-National Immunization Days (SNIDs) for polio vaccination were inaugurated at the Rotary Club of Karachi Community Centre in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Sunday.

National Chair of the PolioPlus Committee Aziz Memon led the inauguration along with Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Focal Person Dr Ahmad Ali Shaikh.

Rotary District 3271 Governor Shahzad Sabir and District Governor-Elect Fahad Sikandar also attended the event.

Humayun Qureshi, President of the Rotary Club of Karachi, and several Rotarians were present at the ceremony.

The September SNIDs will run from September 21 to 27 across selected high-risk areas of Pakistan. The campaign will target children under five, according to the organisers.

Campaign to Target Children in High-Risk Areas

The campaign is expected to reach 31 million children in 115 high-risk districts across Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.

The campaign forms part of Pakistan’s wider effort to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has identified southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Karachi bloc among the areas requiring continued focus. It has also called for sustained vaccination coverage and stronger surveillance.

Three large-scale nationwide campaigns have already been conducted this year, according to the organisers. These campaigns covered around 45 million children.

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In some high-risk areas, health teams also used oral polio vaccine (OPV) alongside fractional inactivated polio vaccine (fIPV) to strengthen protection.

Rotary Urges Parents to Vaccinate Children

Speaking at the inauguration, Aziz Memon said polio eradication requires cooperation between families, health workers and communities.

He urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children receive recommended polio vaccine doses along with routine immunisations.

Memon said Rotary volunteers support frontline workers during vaccination campaigns. They also help monitor NIDs and SNIDs and engage community leaders.

He said such efforts can help address misinformation and misconceptions about polio vaccination.

Supplementary immunisation campaigns aim to reach children who may have missed routine vaccination or previous campaign doses. The goal is to strengthen population immunity and interrupt poliovirus transmission.

Pakistan Remains One of Two Polio-Endemic Countries

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the world’s only countries with ongoing endemic wild poliovirus transmission.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative says Pakistan has made progress in reducing the geographical spread of the virus. However, transmission continues in several high-risk areas.

The programme has identified Karachi as one of the areas requiring sustained attention. Experts have called for strong campaign implementation, surveillance and community engagement to protect recent gains.

The September SNIDs will therefore focus on reaching children in areas where the risk of transmission remains high.