For the greater good

The arrest of 471 parents by the Peshawar police under the Maintenance of Public Order laws for refusing to allow polio drops to be administered to their children may seem to be a draconian step. But given the situation we face currently, it is a welcome measure. Such steps are required to stem the polio epidemic sweeping across the country, with at least 306 cases reported last year. The inability to stop the upsurge of polio cases has inflicted immeasurable harm on our children and has damaged Pakistan’s international standing. The country is now responsible for at least 80 per cent of global polio cases. Because of the problems in administering polio vaccines, dozens are now falling victim to the disease each year.

It has now become necessary to break the existing deadlock. ‘Refusals’, or the denial of polio drops to their children by parents, have emerged as a major factor in our tale of polio-related woes. The stance taken by parents is spurred on by propaganda from extremist clerics about damaging substances in polio drops causing sterility or other negative effects. The strategy adopted by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to address this issue, under its ‘Sehat ka Insaf’ drive reflects a true determination to solve the problem. Initially religious leaders, working with the government, are sent to the homes of parents who have refused vaccination. Arrests follow in the limited cases where there is refusal even after this. This is a necessity given that refusals by parents endanger not only their own children but others as well. We must hope the tough action taken, with the Peshawar administration prepared for more arrests, will help persuade communities to act with greater wisdom and cut through the fog of misinformation deliberately created by militant forces to hold back the anti-polio campaign. It is important that the federal and provincial governments all over the country ensure that each child is vaccinated against polio. The tough actions being taken, then, deserve to be appreciated.

Published in The Express Tribune, March  4^th,  2015.

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