Polio cases: K-P asks EOC to help solve riddle

Emergency Operation Centre to submit response

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak has asked the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) some pointed questions about the susceptibility of male children to the deadly polio virus.

The chief minister, according to official sources, also wants EOC officials to answer why the myth of polio drops causing infertility among babies had not be countered so far. He cited the continued reporting of polio drop refusal cases.

The chief minister took notice of the issue following a story published in The Express Tribune on September 30 which reported details of a study carried out in 2016. The report stated that parents refused inoculation fearing infertility among their sons.

“The EOC will be submitting a reply in a day or two,” EOC coordinator Akbar Khan confirmed the developments.

Officials stated that the chief minister will be briefed about the situation, adding that the development raises questions over the surveillance system as cases related to female children are rarely reported in the rural areas.



“We have noticed that parents seek medical assistance more for male children as compared to female even if infected by the virus and this is something which needs to be taken up by the government to raise awareness among the masses,” the official informed.

Officials dealing with the polio eradication campaign stated that the chief minister will be apprised of the overall situation.

“Around 65 per cent of the reported cases are of male children while the remaining 35 per cent were females,” a senior health official stated.

The official however claimed that the situation has changed in the recent years since some 80 cases were reported from K-P and the federally administered tribal areas in 2014 but following the military operation, Zarb-e-Azab, more areas have become accessible.

“The cases have sharply decreased to only nine in 2016, almost a nine-time deduction,” he added.

While the anti-polio drive has helped protect thousands of lives, it has claimed the lives of over 40 workers including those providing security to polio workers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2016.