Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has met a high-level delegation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) led by its Global President Dr Christopher Elias to foster cooperation and collaboration towards making the province polio-free.
The meeting, which was held at the CM House on Thursday, was attended by Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Health Secretary Jamshed Memon and Emergency Operation Centre Coordinator Shariq Memon.
It focused on the current epidemiological situation in Sindh and the strategic plan for 2026. The BMGF delegation included Gender Equality Division President Dr Anita Zaidi President, Director of Polio Dr Kathy Newsel and Deputy Director of Polio Dr Michael Galway.
The CM expressed his gratitude for the foundation’s steadfast support. “The Sindh government is thankful for the cooperation of the Gates Foundation in our fight against polio. We have greatly improved our campaign coverage and remain dedicated to the virus’s complete eradication,” he stated.
Dr Elias praised the provincial government’s efforts, noting, “The Sindh government is working in a highly organised manner. Our cooperation and collaboration will continue until polio is fully eradicated.”
During the briefing, it was highlighted that while polio cases in Sindh fell from 23 in 2024 to 9 in 2025, environmental samples in Karachi continued to reveal the presence of the virus. The CM pointed out that recent positive environmental samples from various sites in Karachi were worrisome and demanded a more proactive response.
The meeting discussed the Karachi Action Plan (KAP) from January to June 2026, which had introduced specialised strategies such as the ‘single knock strategy’ to reduce community fatigue and enhance first-visit effectiveness.
He stated that the Sindh government was implementing necessary interventions to turn the environmental sample results in the city negative. The CM announced that a new nationwide polio campaign would take place from February 2 to February 8, 2026, to achieve better results.
