The last leg: Refusals the biggest challenge to eradication, say experts

Recommend parents be arrested if they deny child’s right to immunisation

PESHAWAR: Health experts involved in polio efforts called parents refusing vaccination the biggest challenge in eradicating the virus from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. This was stated at an orientation session on working with the media to eradicate the virus held at a hotel on Wednesday.

According to experts, it is a child’s right to be immunised and if parents refuse, the state must take action against them.

Dr Gohar, a member of Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA), said the problem was Peshawar. He agreed with a statement issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 2 which said the poliovirus was being transferred from Pakistan to Afghanistan. “Even if a child is not vaccinated in Afghanistan, [when] he or she travels to Pakistan, the virus attacks within a month or two,” Gohar said. He added there were three areas that need to be focused on – the carriers, environment and parents refusing vaccination.  “A large number of children remain unimmunised and at risk, even in the provincial capital,” Gohar maintained.

When questioned why the focus was only on the poliovirus and not on other preventable diseases, Gohar said, “Because it can be eradicated and other diseases can’t.” He added once a child becomes paralysed, there is no turning back.

Campaign for immunisation

PPA K-P President Dr Amin Jan Gandapur said, “Polio campaigns will only be successful when routine immunisation coverage is up to the mark.” He stressed people needed to take an interest in immunising their children. “Until and unless people stand for immunisation, the virus cannot be eradicated,” he said.

In his presentation, Gandapur said although immunisation was introduced around 37 years ago, only 56% children are fully immunised, “that too only on paper”. He added a lack of awareness, misconceptions, lack of motivation of the Expanded Programme on Immunization staff, limited access to immunisation services and problems with the cold-chain were the biggest hurdles in achieving this target.



“Trivalent vaccines will be stopped and bivalent will be introduced in April,” Gandapur said. He added Inactivated Polio Vaccine will be administered in 2018 to enhance immunity against the crippling virus.

Within reach

Dr Johar from United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund highlighted journalists should investigate cases. “Journalists must dig for details and study cases of polio-infected children [and see] if their parents had refused polio drops,” Johar told the participants.

EPI Assistant Director Dr Ikram Shah also spoke on the occasion and said community involvement was a must to eradicate the virus from the region. “We will successfully eradicate this virus from our region in 2016,” Shah claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2016.