300 children found with fake thumb marks in Peshawar

Authorities decided to use markers of different colour in each inoculation drive

PESHAWAR: The district administration of Peshawar has recommended using different colour markers for marking the thumbs of children after oral polio vaccination.

The proposal follows refusal of the parents of 300 children to get their children vaccinated by forging marks polio workers put on vaccinated children.

Peshawar Deputy Com­missioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh and PM’s Polio Focal Person Babar Bin Atta on Wednesday stopped the polio drive by two hours in Shaheen Muslim Town, Hazar Khwani, Hayatabad and Akhunabad and began the confirmation process during which it was revealed that many parents were using forged marks.

Bin Atta informed that the parents of the children in four union councils obtained old markers from the polio health workers. They used these markers to mark the back of the thumbs of their children to cheat the vaccinators in believing that the kids have been administered oral polio vaccine.

To counter such crafty refusals, Atta said that the vaccinators will now on use red, blue, yellow and orange markers , besides black.

A different coloured marker will be used in every drive each month. According to Emergency Operation Centre Dr Imtiaz, authorities had set a target of vaccinating 5.8 million children n last year of which 26,366 children remained deprived of polio drops. At least 7,508 parents had refused polio drops to their children last vyear. The polio teams could not reach 18,858 children due to various reasons. Around 5,986 out of the refused cases belonged to the Peshawar district.

According to the health department, Shaheen Muslim Town and Larma Union Councils including various areas are affected by the polio virus due to which an Emergency Response Unit has been set up in Maulvi Jee Memorial Hospital Hashtnagri. A separate planning and monitoring has been introduced for the purpose. The Health Department has declared 18 Union Councils at high risk in regard to polio. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2019.