Pakistan has been fighting against the spread of polio virus for last 2 decades with an aim to ensure Pakistan becomes a polio free country but due to various reasons and factors so far these efforts have not met 100% success despite pouring in millions of rupees every year.
Pakistan has been experiencing small number of cases every years in Newly Merged Districts (NMDs), as known as tribal areas. These far-flung areas have been posing serious challenge to the polio workers ranging from logistical troubles to security threats. Dozens of polio workers have lost their lives in these areas in security related incidents where polio teams were attacked by terrorists.
So far in 2022, 11 polio cases so far and all of these cases were reported in North Waziristan tribal district that borders Afghanistan.
This highlights three major challenges in this polio eradication scheme of government. First being the local that’s law and order situation in these NMDs where terrorist splinter cells are still active and always attack on soft targets like polio teams. While the 2nd challenge is more complex and is related to Afghanistan and ingress of polio virus from there. 3rd challenge is those parents who often refuse to get their children inoculated timely before virus could catch them.
Polio workers are real heroes in this war who are fighting against this disease that’s usher permanent disability among children, like warriors despite risks to their lives. Knowing people will refuse to their pleas of getting local children vaccinated, they still cover each house in each village under every kind of weather.
This year too, Pakistan has launched a nationwide anti-polio vaccination drive that aims to inoculate 12.6 million children, amid an outbreak of the virus in a northwestern district bordering Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic. In 2021, Pakistan reported only one case, raising hopes it was close to eradicating polio.
The outbreak, after the first polio case of 2022 was registered in the same region in April, is a blow to national efforts to complete eradication of the virus, which can cause permanent paralysis in children.
Government of Pakistan has established Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for coordinating national effort against polio. This center is responsible for monitoring, responding and strategizing steps towards the final goal. The center is also responsible for distributing and dispatching polio workers in affected areas upon receiving any reports about a new case. Pakistan has for the past 25 years carried out regular inoculation campaigns in which health workers go door-to-door to give polio drops to children. So far this year, the government has carried out three nationwide anti-polio drives — in January, March and in May.
It is important for the governments to understand that the vaccination campaign required deep attention and utmost responsibility to completely eradicate the polio virus from the country. In that respect, it becomes paramount to devise policies to ensure the polio workers can perform their duty without any kind of fear or lack of facilities. In many areas, it has been witnessed that these workers have to walk miles without adequate hydration resources to keep themselves hydrated.
According to reports, the latest polio eradication campaign will cover 25 “very high-risk districts” across Pakistan, including all NMDs, with the help of over 100,000 trained and dedicated vaccinators and other polio workers. These soldiers must be respected and recognized at national level with awards and must be paid financially as well for their services. This year too, a team of polio workers was attacked in which 3 of these heroes lost their lives. Such incidents demand that government must make their security as part of overall polio eradication campaign planning.
