QUETTA: Pakistan is one of three countries in the world where polio virus remains endemic. Recently, World Health Organisation (WHO) called Pakistan the “epicentre of polio virus in the world”.
Rising polio cases triggered fears that Pakistanis might face travel restrictions, if the spread of polio is not checked in the country.
Around 47 polio cases have been reported so far this year. Most of the cases emerged in the northwest, in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to be precise, where a Taliban ban and negative propaganda against the vaccine has been hampering immunisation campaigns.
However, refusal to immunisation has also been reported in the southwest of the country. At least 26,000 parents in the Quetta block that comprises Quetta Valley, Pishin and Qila Abdullah districts refused to vaccinate their children during a three-day campaign in March. The Quetta block has been declared a high-risk area, which is why vaccination drives are repeatedly held here, once or twice a month.
Around 20 percent of parents refused on religious grounds while 30 percent complained that they cannot administer anti-polio drops over and over again.
“Children of this area are at high risk of contracting polio. This is a serious issue,” said Dr Jawahir Habibi, communication specialist of UNICEF.
However, 15,000 families have reportedly been persuaded by social mobilisation teams which were hired by the government and an international health organisation working in collaboration with the government. “About 70 percent families have been persuaded to vaccinate their children, which means there is a huge decline in refusal cases,” Habibi added.
INTERNEWS
