Joint efforts help eradicate polio in Layyah

Official says there has not been a case reported in the district since 2001

LAYYAH: After eight long years of working relentlessly, polio workers in Layyah district, along with members of the community, have managed to rid the area of the crippling disease.

The last recorded case of polio was reported in 2001, says Bakhri Ahmad Khan Area In Charge Amjad Bilal. A six-year-old boy named Sanwal from Basti Lumbran in Choubara tehsil tested positive for the disease. Since then, there has been no reported case of polio in the district, he added.

During the most recent three-day polio campaign, there was a target of inoculating around 0.3 million children under the age of five. However, health workers claim that in reality, they managed to vaccinate 0.35 million children while a total of 1,850 health workers participated in the drive.

Nabeela Naheed, a lady health worker from Chak 333 in Layyah Thal Khan, claims that many people still harbour misconceptions about the polio vaccine. “When trying to convince parents, we present Sanwal’s case. The boy was diagnosed with acute flaccid paralysis after his parents refused to have him vaccinated; the lower half of his body is completely paralysed,” she reveals.

She says that it is easy to convince mothers. However, fathers believe that female health workers try to lead their wives astray and bar us from entering their homes.

Many housewives volunteered during the campaign so that they could communicate with residents on our behalf in Seraiki which is widely spoken in the district, she informs.

Chowk Azam Area In Charge maintains that he had monitored the polio campaign in urban areas.

“One of the biggest problems was that working parents were not at home during the day which prevented workers from inoculating the children,” he states. However, these children were vaccinated during the follow up campaign, he adds.

He says that polio workers work extra hard in urban areas of Fatehpur where tracking down parents is the main problem.

Meanwhile, Layyah Thal Khan Area In Charge Shah Muhammad says that the inoculation target was achieved in joint collaboration with health officials, polio workers and the community at large. “Members of the community arranged seminars along with health officials to create awareness among the masses since the district has the lowest literacy rate in the region,” he maintained.

Sameena Yasmeen, a lady health worker from Jamin Shah union council, says that polio workers continued to fight against polio despite the many obstacles that they faced.

“Many times we were not allowed to enter homes during the door-to-door campaign. In such situations, we seek help from the district government, the police, the health department and the local community who try to convince people about the effectiveness of polio drops,” she said.

Lady health workers played an effective role in eradicating polio from the district. They journey to dangerous areas located far away to fulfil their mission. Despite the scorching weather, they lug around coolers full of ice to maintain the efficacy of the vaccine.

Zahida Parveen, a lady health worker from Chak 148B/TDA said that female polio workers are threatened by militants who believe the vaccine is a Western conspiracy to control the population.

“We remain determined and fight with courage in the war against polio. Because of this we managed to not only achieve the target we had set out, we went above and beyond,” she stresses.

The health workers also appreciate the efforts of civilians who volunteered for the polio drive.