By preventing children from being vaccinated against polio, parents are damaging their future
KARACHI: Although several anti-polio campaigns have been staged in the country, the number of polio cases has recently reached an alarming figure with around 220 cases having been reported across the country. These are 220 cases that could have been avoided had the children been administered a few drops of polio vaccine. Baseless rumours and misconceptions about polio vaccines being haraam or rendering men and women infertile or weakening children have done great harm to the country.
The government has recently been taking steps for eradicating polio through the launch of awareness campaigns and providing vaccinators with guards for protection. However, if parents do not want their children to be vaccinated for polio and do not cooperate with anti-polio teams, this disease will continue to prevail.
By preventing children from being vaccinated against polio, parents are damaging their future. These people need to think about their children’s future instead of focusing on fallacious rumours. Also, the government needs to increase the number and the effectiveness of polio awareness campaigns in areas where this problem is more prevalent, most notably in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and certain parts of Karachi.
Zunera Siddiqui
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2014.
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