Parents baulk at injectable polio vaccine

Refusal cases shoot to 27% during ongoing drive

KARACHI:

As many as 27% of parents refused to get their children vaccinated on the first day of a 10-day special anti-polio campaign launched in the metropolitan city on Friday. They cited distrust in the "jet injectors" used for the first time in the campaign.

The Sindh Health Department is struggling with this huge challenge of high refusal rate in the inoculation campaign as the poliovirus appears to have resurged in the province.

The anti-polio campaign, which runs from August 15 to August 25 under the Emergency Operation Centre Sindh, has set a target of administering shots to over one million children aged five and below via jet injectors.

Irshad Sudhar, Coor-dinator of the Emergency Operation Centre Sindh, has sought to dispel fears regarding jet injector which, according to him, is a relatively new and uncommon method of vaccination.

Parents have expressed concerns about this technique, as it has been infrequently used during earlier campaigns. Sudhar reassured that jet injectors are modern, safe, and effective, delivering a 0.1ml dose without using needles. The shot is administered through air pressure, causing no pain to the child.

However, some parents are skeptical. While the campaign achieved 62% of its target on the first day, the high refusal rate reflects a lack of awareness and confidence in this new method. The Health Department plans to initiate a campaign to educate parents about the safety and efficacy of jet injectors.

National Coordinator of the Emergency Operation Centre Anwarul Haque announced that a coordinated anti-polio campaign will begin in Pakistan and Afghanistan on September 9. More campaigns will be launched in Pakistan throughout September, October, and November, with the goal of vaccinating over 95% of the country's children.