Combating polio

Polio is a crippling disease, caused by the polio virus and usually found in children under the age of five. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where this disease is aggravating with each passing day. Across the country, 119 cases have been reported this year.

There is a dire need to confront the scourge of polio with greater urgency. Awareness campaigns need to be run by the concerned departments in remote areas where parents often refuse to vaccinate their children, largely due to the spread of misinformation. Religious scholars should also be taken on board to quell people’s misplaced fears of the vaccine.

Numan Bacha

Swabi