Chitral polio immunisation drive delayed for PTI chief’s rally

Officials say drive delayed only to ensure better monitoring of campaign

PESHAWAR: While Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa seems to have exorcised much of its past polio ghosts as it reported only one case in the past year. But it seems the province has decided to let precious days for a vaccination campaign in a remote valley slip to prepare for the visit of PTI chief Imran Khan

Officials involved in polio eradication campaigns eye lower season — mostly winters — since the poliovirus always struggles to survive during the winter.



As temperatures in Chitral fall to a minimum of four degrees Celsius, a three-day vaccination campaign in the valley has apparently been delayed until November 10 with the district management preoccupied with preparations for a political gathering by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan scheduled to be held later this week.

Officials involved in the anti-polio campaigns say that while the campaign continues the year around, the winter season between November and March was ideal for targeting the virus since the poliovirus struggles for its survival and its growth shrinks.

However, before launching each immunisation campaign, the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in the province seeks preparedness report from all the districts. Whenever a district administration gives the green signal for campaigns, the EOC proceeds with a drive.

“Yes, we always seek their [district administration’s] response because if they are not ready, we cannot go for it [anti-polio campaign] since this is a huge task involving security officials, polio workers, dispatching vaccine,” a senior health official said.

The official while requesting anonymity stated ‘we have only three months, ideal months rather and delaying such campaigns delays our job’ adding ‘if the campaigns have been delayed over Khan’s visit, Khan must reschedule his visit rather rescheduling the anti-polio campaign.’

Meanwhile, Chitral Deputy Commissioner Irshad Ali Sodhar has refuted reports about postponing the campaign for the PTI chief’s visit, stating that the immunisation campaign was a major activity and the district administration wants to reorganise things for the campaign.



“This [drive] is something big and we want it to be carried out more effectively since monitoring is the most important factor involved and there have been issues in the past,” Sodhar told The Express Tribune by phone.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2017.