Poliovirus persists

The poliovirus is part of history for most countries, but it remains a current topic for us. Lahore’s first case of polio of the year 2019 has been detected, which comes as a shock because for two years, Lahore remained polio-free. Cases from K-P are also suspected. This is a setback to the massive anti-polio campaigns across the country, even the one that recently caught the attention of actor Ashton Kutcher and Prime Minister Imran Khan who lauded polio worker Irfanullah for trekking through snow to deliver vaccines. The polio worker deserves to be laurelled but the situation beneath requires more scrutiny. Allegations of internal mismanagement and corruption must be investigated.

While on the surface, workers and campaign managers appear to be doing their job, suspected false entries into the register of delivered vaccines should be investigated. This raises doubts about suspected involvement of higher authorities. Much of the money donated to the cause comes from foreign entities. Organisations involved in the cause generally have had loose bookkeeping and little accountability prior to the Imran Khan-PTI era. Allegations of wrongdoing should be investigated regardless of organisations and departments.

Anti-polio campaigns are being carried out for at least half a decade and while we cannot expect a complete eradication in such time due to the lethargy of our departments, our expectations have increased while our patience has reduced. It is not for the government to make polio vaccination mandatory for families, although the health department made it a requirement for travellers some years ago. It is, however, the government’s responsibility to spread awareness and launch effective campaigns. If there is corruption and mismanagement in organisations and departments dealing with eradication of polio, the government too cannot escape blame. Ultimately, innocent babies are impacted for life as a result of greed, laziness, and lack of concern by those working on campaigns.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2019.

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