Pakistan: The polio battle

Last year, the government aimed to control the outbreak of polio but despite all efforts, there is still a long way to go to make Pakistan polio-free. However, reports of the presence of the polio virus in a water sample taken in Rawalpindi is a matter of serious concern. The twin cities had their last case of polio nearly three years ago, but the discovery led the National Institute of Health to begin investigating cases of paralysis which were reported from various parts of the country, including Islamabad. What causes even more concern is the fact that with the porous borders - Islamabad's close proximity to the northern regions - the continual movement of people has been one of the factors that has increased number of polio cases. The traditional, conservative culture hampers accessibility of immunisation to children in the remote areas. Plus the controversy of the fake polio vaccination campaign carried out by CIA, which involved a Pakistani doctor, has not helped the anti-polio campaigns as paranoia runs high especially in Fata, one of the four main pockets of polio in Pakistan. Local agencies have also acknowledged increased difficulty in administering successful polio campaigns in such areas after the Abbottabad fiasco. The discovery of the polio virus in Islamabad is just the tipof the iceberg. Despite being close to completely exterminating the virus from the country in 2004, complacency and natural disasters caused the relapse of this deadly disease. Super floods of the last two years have made the health situation even more precarious and now Pakistan remains one of the last few countries which is still under the threat of polio. What makes it difficult to handle is that out of those countries, three are Pakistan's neighbours. Admittedly, China and India have a limited polio scare, which it is hoped would be easily handled. It is the Durand Line border which poses the greatest threat for both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The government needs to ensure that the polio vaccination campaigns for the next year should be carried out along with an awareness campaign. Anti-vaccination campaigns, for all their effectiveness, fail to change cultural perceptions, which are often a major hindrance in curbing this menace. Notice must be taken of incidents in which children who had been administered polio vaccinations in each campaign, still contacted the disease. If there is any evidence of compliance involved in selling defective vaccines, action must be taken. The devolution of the Health Ministry is also a reason behind the inability to devise a strategy to spread awareness. Since it is no more a centralised policy decision anymore, provincial decision-making is not synchronised with precise requirements to deal with the threat of polio. But since polio cases are being reported from across the country, no provincial government can afford to fall behind on this. The issue needs to be discussed at the Council of Common Interest to develop an effective policy.