Pakistan: ‘Polio still exists for lack of political will’

thenews.com

Paediatric Association (PPA) believed that India eradicated the menace of polio through political will and accountability, while Pakistan has been facing the scourge due to lack of it.

Addressing a press conference here at a hotel on Monday, PPA central president Dr Ameer Muhammad Khan Jugezai, Punjab chapter president Dr Waqar Hussain, Prof Dr Tariq Iqbal Bhutta and Dean Children’s Hospital, Lahore, Prof Dr Tahir Masud and others lamented upon the negative propaganda by some circles regarding polio vaccine saying there is no harmful effects of polio vaccine and discolouring of vaccine can make it ineffective. However, there is no threat to the life of children. They stressed upon the media to play its active role for removing this negative impression from the minds of the people.

They said a total of 198 polio cases had been reported in 2011 throughout the country out of these, 196 cases were of type-I and two cases were of type-III; whereas, type-II had been completely eradicated from the world. Out of these 198 cases last year, as many as 72 cases related to district Quetta, Pisheen and Qila Abdullah of Balochistan, which proves that polio virus is present in these three Balochistan districts and four polio cases were reported in Punjab last year. They said this year a total of 12 cases have already been reported during the first two months of 2012 throughout the country out of which one case related to Punjab while only eight cases were reported during the corresponding period last year, which suggested that polio cases were rising this year. Out of the 12 cases this year in Pakistan, they said, four cases were reported in Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa, three in FATA, two each in Sindh and Balochistan and one case was reported from Jhang in Punjab.

They said due to ongoing war against terrorism in Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa and some areas of FATA, religious extremism and peculiar situation of Balochistan, polio vaccine drops cannot be administered to thousands of children. They said that some families were forced to migrate and take refuge in other provinces due to terrorism as a result of which polio could not be eliminated completely in Pakistan.

Dr Ameer Muhammad Jugezai said that some religious extremists do not allow administering polio drops to children in the areas under their influence, which was a matter of grave concern; therefore, Ulema were urged to come forward and play their role in this regard. He said that the children could be saved from the disability of the entire life by administering polio vaccine drops.

He said that all concerned were making sincere efforts for making the polio campaigns a success. However, people can play their active role in elimination of this disease by administering polio vaccine to their children at all costs. He said that elimination of polio was the joint responsibility of the government and the masses.