Re-emergence of polio

Only three cases of type 1 polio have been reported in the world: one each in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Malawi

The emergence of another polio case after the country recorded zero incidence for 15 months has caused concerns among the authorities as well as the public. It is genuinely worrying as the presence of even one case of the seriously debilitating disease can trigger an epidemic. The authorities are alive to the situation and striving to fully eliminate polio from Pakistan, thereby contributing to the global efforts to get the world completely rid of polio. A child, aged 15 months, from North Waziristan has been detected with polio this month. There were fears that the poliovirus might rear its head again as positive environmental samples of the virus had been found in two divisions of southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa a few months ago in 2021.

In order to meet the challenges posed by the fresh emergence of the poliovirus, the government and its global partners in the fight against the dreaded virus have launched an emergency action plan. They have stepped up vaccination campaigns in the vulnerable region to administer polio drops to all children up to the age of five. This year, only three cases of type 1 poliovirus have been reported in the world: one each in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Malawi. Even the presence of only three cases is a potential risk to the whole world, so the authorities in the countries where polio has still not been fully conquered, with the assistance of the WHO and Unicef, are closely monitoring the situation and doing the needful.

There are certain underlying causes of the re-emergence of the poliovirus in the three countries. One of the causes, and an important one at that, is the people’s lack of trust. Some of the reasons that have contributed to the diminished public confidence in the polio vaccination drives are well known while others need to be investigated. The authorities have not lowered the guard against the pernicious poliovirus though, they also need to be focused more on rebuilding public trust. This is essential if polio has to be fully eradicated.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2022.

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