Success against polio

Pakistan notched up notable success in the battle to eradicate polio as it rang out the year 2015. That success lies in the drastic drop in the number of fresh polio cases when compared with those of a year ago. Polio cases declined from the 306 recorded in 2014 to 51 in 2015. This is the lowest-ever count recorded since 2009. This surely constitutes an important milestone in the fight against the scourge which leaves its victims — little children — crippled for life.

The year 2014 proved to be the worst in more than a decade in terms of registering an incredibly high number of new polio cases. The year had kept public health officialdom of the country constantly on edge as every new day seemed to bring in one more bad news, one more fresh case adding to the ever-swelling tally. Islamabad had to contend with international pressure to step up its vaccination campaign to stem the spread of the virus. It was indeed a torrid time coming to grips with the challenge as the country, together with Afghanistan, was looked upon as polio’s last redoubt.

Thankfully, a multi-faceted strategy involving a ramping up of vaccination drives and tackling the refusal cases head on paid off and the country has reaped encouraging results in the year just ended. Pulling off this feat would have been difficult had the military’s counterterror operation against militants bent upon disrupting polio vaccination, not aided the effort. But this is no time for complacency or resting on our laurels, either. The success of 2015 is only relative, not absolute. On closer inspection, it emerges that it was again our tribal belt which, at 17, recorded the highest number of polio cases last year, followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with a count of 15. Karachi also continued to be a problem area. Only Punjab stands out as the province with a success story. This calls for making a fresh vow to redouble our efforts and carry on the fight to the finish. This new year resolve is crucial if we are to help the world wipe out the debilitating disease.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2016.

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