Ever-evolving polio

The latest report that a two-year-old child in Hyderabad has been diagnosed with polio has once again uncovered the slow pace of vaccination campaigns across the country. This is the second case from Hyderabad, bringing the total to 24. At least seven of these cases were reported after the conclusion of the country-wide vaccination campaign that ended on September 14. What exactly is the reason for this situation? Last year, the country reported six polio cases. In the first nine months of this year, the number of polio cases is four times what it was last year. Why is the country falling four steps backwards for every step it takes? This year’s performance has been atrocious. Twenty-four polio cases are unacceptable, and higher authorities should intervene and find out why we are failing.

The country’s security situation is a major issue behind the failure of vaccination campaigns. But for how long will we keep giving the government a free pass? The failure to protect the lives of polio workers and security teams accompanying them is on the government. The dominance of militant groups in some areas cannot, and should not, absolve authorities of their responsibility of ensuring that every child is properly vaccinated. The government still has time. The first step should be to mandate all healthcare centres (both public and private) to have polio workers who could provide information to parents about the importance of vaccinations. All parents’ questions should be properly addressed, and they should be told about the dangers of keeping their children unvaccinated. In Pakistan, the lack of trust in healthcare drives most parents away from government initiatives. Misinformation regarding medicines and lack of awareness make the situation even more complex. The dismissive attitude of some healthcare practitioners towards people from low-income backgrounds also dents the government’s efforts to convince parents to get their children vaccinated.

Pakistan cannot afford to have more polio cases. It has to bring all stakeholders on board and make a foolproof plan to vaccinate people. Over the last couple of years, there has been an unprecedented level of mistrust among people regarding the government’s action. The state cannot ignore this growing discontent and has to play its role of bridging the gap between itself and citizens and convince them to cooperate with the state to take care of their health. Our country is already an infrastructure hellhole. For people with any physical disabilities, navigating workplaces and residential areas become an exhausting task. Will it be fair to deliberately push our children to live a life with crutches? Polio is an avoidable condition, and only relentless efforts by the government can keep the country free from this disease. It is time all stakeholders joined hands to fight against this relentless virus. A polio-free Pakistan is key for a prosperous Pakistan.