Though polio vaccine has been scientifically proven risk-free, it is quite worrisome that some highly-educated and well-to-do families are constantly refusing to administer anti-polio drops to their children in the federal capital.
As the federal and provincial governments are striving hard to deal with crippling polio virus, the educated lot’s refusal to administer anti-polio drops to their children could negatively affect the anti-polio efforts.
Earlier, the people living in far-flung rural areas especially in FATA were refusing the anti-polio drops citing different reasons, but with the clarification that the drops were scientifically harmless, the refusals sharply dropped there now.
However, the recently surfacing reports about the refusal of polio drops by well-educated and wealthiest families in the federal capital raised serious questions whether Pakistan would enable to eradicate the polio from the country or not.
Physicians at large find it quite worrisome to see parents intentionally refusing the life-saving drops to their child, as the unvaccinated child could put other people in society at risk.
A senior health official dealing with polio eradication campaigns in federal capital told Pakistan Today that it was quite surprising to note that in the federal capital especially the residents of the posh areas refusing to administer anti-polo drops.
He said that most of the parents, who refused to administer polio drops, were well-educated; however such cases are also reported from the suburb areas of the federal capital.
The crippling polio virus is no longer an endemic in all countries of the world except in three — Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. Taking to Pakistan Today, a father of three, a resident of F/7, who wished to go unnamed, said that he never administered the anti-polio drops to his children because of its negative impacts on health.
However, when he was asked as how it negatively affected the health since the drops made to safeguard the children of the chronic diseases, he said that there is no truth in the notion, as all his children are quite healthy sans giving them polio drops.
He went on saying that the anti-polio drops badly affected the children mentally. Another senior health official said that around 33,000 children were administered anti-polio drops only in Bhara kahu during the recently-conclude anti-polio drive.
He said that during the campaign, a total of 25 cases of refusal of anti-polio drops were reported. However; the official said that they succeeded in convincing most of the families to give the anti-polio drops to their children when they were told that they drops are harmless and have no negative impacts.
He said that the parents gave various reasons not to administer the drops, as some of them were of the view that it could negatively impact the mental health of a child.
The official said that some of them quoted the rapid spread of misinformation through social networking sites and the Internet, fuelling a misconception that children who are vaccinated would be sterilized.
He said that in absence of any fear of punishment a handful person brainwashed the people, as there is no such law like in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP); where the parents are arrested who refused to administer polio drops to their children.
When this scribe contacted, Capt (retd) Abdul Sattar Isani, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), said that the anti-polio campaign was going very well and today is our catch up day and over 90 percent of the work has already been done, while the remaining to be done by next day.
He confirmed that several refusal cases cropped up during the on-going campaign; however quick to add that most of the parents were persuaded to administer anti-polio drops to their children, while some are still reluctant.
To a question, Isani said that they have set up a separate system to address the issue of refusal cases so as the parents could be motivated and to properly explain to them the effectiveness of the drops in order to induce them for polio drops.
He said that a carrot and stick policy would be adopted to rein in the cases of refusal; however he added that they would prefer to convince the parents through dialogue and the option of force would be used as a last resort, which would go by gradually.
Isani said that there are different reasons of refusal; however he expressed optimism that the issue would be controlled, because over all the campaign was quite satisfactory.
According to the detail, during the recently concluded three-day anti-polio campaign from 17-20, 2017, a total of 307,869 children were administered polio drops out of the targeted 309,647.
A total of 1,167 teams (Mobile team+fixed team+transit Team) were constituted, while 642 police and FC personnel were also deputed with polio teams.
