Eradicating polio

After a break over the Ramazan period, the next anti-polio drive in the country is underway, with 38.6 million children in the country to be targeted across all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. At a press conference in Islamabad on Monday, President Dr Arif Alvi, flanked by officials from the Ministry of Health, WHO and Unicef said that he was confident that polio would be eradicated in the country by next year. There are indeed reasons for his optimism. There has been a steady decline in the number of cases of polio reported in the country since 2014 when 305 cases came to light, triggering global panic. Since then the number has continued to fall from one year to the next and Pakistan’s commitment to the cause of eliminating a disease that has over the years crippled thousands over the years has shown a distinct upturn. This year only four cases have been reported so far, suggesting that the campaign is succeeding. These cases came from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, is one of only three countries in the world where polio remains endemic.

We hope that the commitment demonstrated by the president will play a part in bringing the disease to an end. We must, however, accept that the problems faced in the past do continue. Early this year, a mother and daughter delivering polio vaccines were killed in Balochistan by extremists who oppose the programme. President Arif Alvi in his talk also emphasised the role played by security agencies in ensuring that each child can be reached by vaccination teams. Pakistan is now extremely close to joining the many countries around the world that have driven the disease out of their territory. These nations include all our South Asian neighbours – except for Afghanistan. Pakistan must not falter in these final stages. It is necessary to continue the anti-polio drive for all children that are aged under five years with zeal and efficiency. We need to wipe out polio and keep our children safe from a dangerous sickness that can be prevented simply by swallowing a few drops of amber liquid.