Polio kills

Eradicating polio was almost within national grasp five years ago, since then, the downwards slide has been inexorable

The cold-blooded murder of another group of polio vaccinators in a Quetta suburb on November 26 is a chilling reminder of just how high is the mountain that Pakistan has to climb if it is to eradicate polio. The four dead, three of them women, belonged to a vaccination team that was just starting out on their day’s work. They had picked up their supplies of vaccine and were en route to the area they were due to visit when they were ambushed by two men on a motorbike. One of the men asked if they were a vaccination team, a woman confirmed and sealed their fate — not that it was ever in much doubt. The dead were hit in the head and upper body and the team leader spent minutes trying to attract help but to little effect. A policeman reportedly walked away. Cars did not stop. Two sisters were among the dead. The women are paid — when they are paid as it is usually irregular — a paltry $5 a day for putting their lives on the line for the betterment of others.

There is a depressing familiarity about the scenario sketched above. The team appears to have been unprotected — though even when they are protected it is no guarantee that they are invulnerable to attacks. The vaccinators have now gone on strike and say they will not resume their duties until the provincial administration provides security for them every minute of their working day. Even this may not be enough, as there are reports of women who work in the polio eradication programmes being targeted in their own homes. The provincial home secretary admitted that there had been a ‘security lapse’ — but this is no consolation. Eight health workers have been killed in Balochistan over the last two years. Eradicating polio was almost within the national grasp five years ago. Since then, the downwards slide has been inexorable and Pakistan is now seen as a proliferator of the disease globally. Protect the vaccinators or lose the battle. It is that simple.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2014.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.