Polio threat

Letter July 14, 2014
It is indeed admirable that govt, after an initial delay, launched vaccination drive to vaccinate 400,000 children

ISLAMABAD: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas have been hotbeds of polio even prior to the military operation. With the internal migration of people, including children from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) to other settled areas, the threat of the polio epidemic has increased. It is indeed admirable that the government, after an initial delay, launched a vaccination drive to vaccinate up to 400,000 children coming in from North Waziristan and other areas of Fata in an attempt to contain the spread of virus. Despite these efforts, thousands of people migrating from NWA have refused to get their children vaccinated and that has made Bannu (which houses the largest number of IDPs) the most vulnerable district in terms of polio outbreak.

As the military operation continues, such challenges will continue to surface, with the country experiencing the biggest migration since the Afghan Jihad. The need of the hour is to harness national resources and develop a strategy comprising all federal and provincial governments, local administrations, military and international organisations to address this epidemic and save future generations of Pakistan from being permanently handicapped.

Khushboo Ahmad

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2014.

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