Pakistan appears to be inching closer to the finish line of polio eradication. If media reports are to be believed, Pakistan may achieve eradication in just about a year.
Amidst all the media clatter over repeated campaigns and security incidents, Pakistan has been able to dramatically reduce new cases of polio from a whopping 306 in 2014 to 54 in 2015. This year has been even better, the count stands at 12 as of June last week. And Punjab, believed to be at least half the country, is leading the efforts with superb efforts. In 2014, Punjab’s count was 4 out of 306, in 2015 two out of 54, and this year no case so far.
There come news of presence of polio virus in the environment and then appear stories of families moving from polio affected areas. One only wonders how the polio staff covers a population on the move and administer vaccination to them.
Pakistan is one of the only two countries having circulation polio (the other country being Afghanistan). That is even if Pakistan is able to eradicate polio, due to a porous border, Pakistan may not reach the finish line unless Afghanistan does so as well.
The government needs to however focus more on the areas with problems, and do the needful, like covering the areas that are still unvaccinated. Especially the areas where virus from environment is detected again and again. Identify what are the remaining pockets where children remain unvaccinated. Even if there is no local circulation in Punjab, the threats lurks from areas in other provinces that are still reporting polio cases. Nevertheless, the statistics indicate there is a realistic hope that Pakistan will be to achieve dream of polio eradication.
Let us keep our fingers crossed.
Dr. Izhar Hashmi
Director Program
Punjab Welfare Trust for Disabled
