Stray Dogs Threaten Polio Drive in Sindh, Workers at Risk

Stray dogs threaten polio drive work in Sindh, where more than 58,000 workers face a daily battle to reach doorsteps. Their mission is to protect children from a crippling disease, but the dogs are increasingly putting their lives at risk.

The threat is no longer limited to resistant parents. Vaccinators say aggressive dogs often emerge from streets and alleyways, forcing them to abandon vaccination efforts and run for cover. Several have been bitten during previous campaigns.

The risk follows them from the moment they leave their union councils early in the morning.

Stray dogs threaten polio drive: what workers face

Polio workers said they face many difficulties from the moment they leave their union councils early in the morning, but stray dogs remain among their biggest concerns. Their duties require them to reach every household, including narrow lanes where stray dogs roam.

At times, dogs suddenly become aggressive, disrupting vaccination work and forcing workers to flee. Several vaccinators have been injured in attacks during previous campaigns.

The workers said they were already grappling with social and administrative challenges. The growing threat of stray dogs has added another layer of risk to an already demanding assignment.

Despite risking their safety to help make Pakistan polio-free, they complained that little was being done to protect them. They said repeated complaints to town chairmen and local administrations had yielded no response.

Officials often tell the workers that action cannot be taken against stray dogs because their capture or killing has been prohibited. The vaccinators stressed that they were not demanding the animals be killed, but wanted local bodies to devise a practical strategy to protect human lives.

Security personnel are deployed to protect polio teams during campaigns, but no permanent arrangements exist to shield workers from dog attacks in streets and neighbourhoods.

Sindh immunisation chief Dr Raj Kumar acknowledged the difficulties, describing the workers’ duties as extremely challenging.

Why door-to-door vaccination cannot stop

Polio vaccination in Pakistan depends on teams reaching every child under five, house by house. A missed street means missed children, and missed children leave gaps in immunity that the virus can exploit. That is why workers cannot simply skip the lanes where dogs roam.

The stakes are high. Pakistan has recorded nine polio cases this year, and the prime minister has ordered a full eradication plan. Each case is a reminder that the virus is still circulating, and that the door-to-door campaign is the country’s main defence.

The stray dog problem reaches beyond the polio drive. Sindh’s rabies death toll rose to 42 in October, after two more people died of the disease. One victim was an 11-year-old boy in Hyderabad who died after a dog bite. Those deaths show the scale of the problem, and why vaccinators say they need protection, not sympathy alone.

Vaccination drives face other pressures too. Islamabad has faced a shortage of flu vaccine, leaving families waiting. For polio workers, the problem is not supply. It is safety on streets they must walk every day.

What workers are asking for

The vaccinators are not asking for the dogs to be killed. They want local government bodies to work out a practical strategy that keeps them safe on their rounds. That could mean catching and sheltering aggressive animals, keeping dogs away from vaccination routes during campaigns, or giving teams protective gear and training.

So far, the response has been limited to security personnel during campaigns, with no permanent arrangement for the streets where the attacks happen.

The next campaign will test whether anything has changed.

Tribune reported the workers’ accounts on Friday.

Frequently asked questions

How many polio workers are affected in Sindh?

More than 58,000 polio workers in Sindh face stray dog attacks during door-to-door vaccination.

What happens when workers meet stray dogs?

Workers say aggressive dogs often emerge from streets and alleyways, forcing them to abandon vaccination and run for cover. Several have been bitten or injured in past campaigns.

Are workers asking for the dogs to be killed?

No. The vaccinators stressed that they were not demanding the animals be killed. They want local government bodies to devise an effective and practical strategy to protect human lives.

What protection do workers have now?

Security personnel protect polio teams during campaigns, but no permanent arrangements shield workers from dog attacks in streets and neighbourhoods.

How many polio cases has Pakistan recorded this year?

Pakistan has recorded nine polio cases this year, and the prime minister has ordered an eradication plan.