80% vaccine naysayers now sign up for inoculation

Balochistan’s EOC coordinator says religious scholars playing vital role in dispelling misconceptions

QUETTA: Religious scholars have persuaded 80% of the parents, who had been refusing polio drops to their children, to cooperate with polio teams in three sensitive districts of Balochistan, an official claimed on Monday.

“In the next six months, Balochistan will be a polio-free province as religious scholars are playing their vital role in anti-polio campaigns,” said Balochistan’s Emergency Operation Cell  (EOC) Coordinator Faisal Ahmed during a news conference in Quetta. The press conference was also addressed by religious scholars, Maulana Dr Attaur Rehman and Maulana Anwar ul Haq Haqqani.

“All resources are being utilised to combat the notorious polio virus, with the cooperation of religious scholars as 80% refusing parents from a total 6,000 families have agreed to let their children vaccinated against the virus,” Ahmed added.

Talking with reference to the fresh recruitment in anti-polio programme he said, all appointments were made completely on merit, indicating Balochistan government’s seriousness towards the disease.

Speaking on the occasion, Attaur Rehman said polio had turned into an International agenda, “In 2014, a large number of families were reluctant to get their children vaccinated, but due to the efforts of National Islamic Forum and religious scholars, the majority of parents have been persuaded.”

He said the provincial government had constituted a committee comprising 777 religious scholars to spread awareness about the polio-drops, about which there was a widespread misconception that they cause infertility in children.

“Due to efforts of the religious task force, only one polio case was reported in Balochistan this year. We are optimistic that in next six months Balochistan will be declared polio-free,” he added.

Addressing the media, Maulana Haqqani said, the religious task force had succeeded in its job. “Misconceptions about side-effects of the drops are now dissipating,” he added.

CM Zehri starts anti-polio drive

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri on Monday kicked off an anti-polio drive by administrating vaccine to children at the CM’s Secretariat as he vowed to achieve the target of a polio-free Balochistan.

Zehri said the government was taking major steps for elimination of the crippling disease, adding that parents, religious scholars and political and tribal elders would have to play their crucial role for accomplishing the goal of this drive. He said the polio campaign had been started in connection with the World Polio Day.

The chief minister directed that the polio teams should be given foolproof security and better transport facility. He specially appealed to parents to ensure administrating polio drops to their less than five-year-old children.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2016.