Polio to be eradicated ‘after Pak-Afghan border fencing’

PM's focal person blames lack of trust, refusal by parents as main cause of anti-polio campaign’s failure

ISLAMABAD: Polio will see total eradication from Pakistan after completion of fencing work at Pak-Afghan border by January 2020. This was stated by prime minister’s focal person for anti-polio campaign Babar Bin Ata.

In an interview with Daily Express, prime minister's focal person for anti-police campaign Babar Bin Ata said that the 2011's incident in Abbottabad had badly affected the polio drive in the country. He said that polio vaccine was not the cause of infertility in men and making the tribal men aware of the fact was one of the targets of the campaign.

Ata told that the fencing work at Pak-Afghan border had been completed by 45 percent and by December 2019 the fence would be fully constructed after which influx of refugees from Afghanistan carrying virus would completely stop.

Babar Bin Ata said that with the support of armed forces access was made to the areas of North Waziristan from where polio virus spread to other parts of the country. Polio teams with the help of armed forces visited those areas to administer drops to children for the first time. Ata said it was only because of these efforts the polio cases reduced from 300 to ten.

PM's focal person blamed lack of trust and refusal by parents as the main cause of campaign’s failure. Ata observed it would only take one more campaign for complete eradication of polio if the parents reposed their confidence and trust in the vaccine.

Ata told in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa misconception that polio caused infertility was being spread. He said the reality was that only a small percentage of parents declined the vaccine to their children on religious grounds.

PM’s focal person for polio said his success was based on complete eradication of virus from the country and not on the reduction in the number of cases.

He appealed the nation to ensure administration of drops to every child in the upcoming campaign that was starting from January 21.