Pakistan's Polio problem

By Altamash Hashmi

In 1955, Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio followed by Sabin oral vaccine. Subsequently, the number of cases of polio was reduced from 28,985 Americans in the year 1955 to nil in 1979.

Similarly, India reported half of the global polio cases until the year 2009. But thanks to the aggressive polio campaign in the country, India has now become one of the polio-free countries in the world. Even globally, more than 2.5 million children have been immunized reducing the overall number of polio cases by 99 percent.

But the threat is definitely not over. The World Health Organisation issued a statement earlier this week highlighting the trouble of international spread of polio virus, calling it an 'extraordinary event' and a public health risk to other States for which a coordinated international response is essential. WHO has noted that Pakistan, Cameroon and Syria pose the greatest risk to countries who have managed to get rid of the virus but have severely compromised routine immunization services since then. Estimates show that by the end of 2013, 60 percent of polio cases worldwide were a result international spread of polio virus. According to WHO, the need of the hour is a coordinated international response to stop the international spread of the wild poliovirus especially with the onset of the high transmission season in May and June. In a statement, WHO says 'if unchecked, this situation could result in failure to eradicate globally one of the world's most serious vaccine preventable diseases.'

In an immediate response, Pakistan's Health Ministry Spokesperson Sajid Ali Shah said polio immunization posts would be established at the country's international airports and other travel hubs. But the problem with Pakistan is not the will of the government sitting in Islamabad. The trouble lies with the implementation of government initiated programmes. Vaccination campaigns have been obstructed by extremist at various levels including lethal attacks on health workers. Pakistan National Polio Plus Committee Chairman Aziz Memon said in an interview last year "what hinders Pakistan in containing the dreaded virus is insurgency, violence and illiteracy."

The main problem area for the Pakistani government is the country's northwest where the Tehrik-e-Taliban exercises authority. Their leadership changes after almost after every 30 kilometers. Unlike the Afghanistan Taliban, Tehrik-e-Taliban has announced its disapproval of the polio vaccine in the past. In fact many local clergymen have also disapproved of vaccination leading to a perception amongst parents that polio vaccines lead to impotency. Just last year, as many as 47,099 children were missed out in polio vaccination drive due to parents' refusal.

However, there is still hope for Pakistan that can learn a lot from India which was also bombarded with false information on polio vaccines. In India's case, the clergymen who once strongly criticized vaccines became an important tool in clearing the doubt over its side effects. Experts always predicted India would be the last to stop polio as parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were among the most difficult places in the world for polio eradication. Luckily, they were proven wrong.