The success story is India — the country the Difa-e-Pakistan Council doesn’t want Islamabad to trade with — where (as mentioned in the GPEI report) “unswerving political commitment, outstanding public health leadership, clear lines of accountability, intolerance of weak performance and systematic enforcement of best practices” has saved a billion-strong population, most of it poor, from being kicked out of life’s good prospects. Pakistan, on the other hand, had 198 polio cases last year, followed by Afghanistan with 80, Nigeria, 60, and India, one.
Partly, Talibanisation is to blame for what is happening because of the rapidly-spreading violence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Fata and Balochistan. Nigeria has its own Talibanisation called Boko Haram, whose followers seem to burn English-language schools and anything which looks modern. The killers are from Nigeria’s northern provinces, killing non-Muslims and also people of their own creed, if found moderate in their thinking. The only difference is that Pakistan is poor in natural resources and Nigeria has an abundance of crude oil.
Pakistan sank when the Taliban announced that they were opposed to polio vaccine as an article of faith. In Afghanistan, the Karzai government, backed by armies of the world’s most advanced countries, has lagged behind even Pakistan in remedial campaigns because of the ‘Taliban by night’ phenomenon in almost all the provinces. The GPEI says that Pakistan’s polio programme progressed strongly over its first 12 years; in 2005, it reported just 28 cases against 20,000 cases per year in the early 1990s. In recent year, however, Pakistan decided to part ways with the rest of the world in its fight against polio.
The Taliban first started threatening people in the Bajaur-Malakand region if they allowed their children to drink polio drops. The news that spread after that was based on some Talibanised clerics saying that the drops robbed the children of their virility. Needless to say, the thought was based on the most primitive thinking that the Taliban have consistently given evidence of. But the people obeyed not because they were as illiterate as the Taliban but because they were scared. The dispensing staff, too, did not want to get killed. Yet, the campaign against the anti-polio campaign had its so-called scientific origin in the UK where expat Muslim doctors first announced their opposition to vaccines. A spokesman for the Islamic Medical Association (UK) said in January 2011: “We are giving our innocent children haram (forbidden) substances and harmful chemicals that destroy their natural immune systems, causing disease, suffering and death. All Muslim doctors and parents should be aware of vaccine ingredients and of the failed efficacy of vaccines. The harm is clearly greater than the benefit. Time has come to take a stand for truth.” He referred to the polio drops together with other vaccines thus: “This reflects a grave medical assault inflicted on the small, weak, defenceless bodies of our innocent children.”
Everyone knows that polio vaccines were extracted from cows to create antibodies. Talibanised scholars waking up to the fact without presenting an alternative is simply not acceptable. The evidence is clear: the vaccine has saved the children of the world. And the good news is that Pakistan is winning back the areas lost to the terrorists: the girls’ schools are being rebuilt and the polio teams are out again saving our children from being crippled for life.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (12)
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I have asked that anti vaccine of polio is derived from cow how Hindus in India take vaccine as they call cow as their mother.tell me and others form which animal,polio antibodies are taken.thanks
It is all too easy to blame the others, especially the Ulema. When dialogues are held with the Ulema, over 95% agree to support polio campaigns. To eradicate polio, we must engage with the broader community down to the household level as well as with Ulema, the teachers, shopkeepers, local administration and department of health, local civil society, local political activists, etc. TOTAL ENGAGEMENT IS NEEDED to make Pakistan polio free country on a sustainable basis. Finally, why is the media not doing enough to higlight the good (and the bad) work that is being done? During the polio campaign days, the media teams should be out and providing BREAKING NEWS about areas and children being covered as well as those being missed, REAL TIME feedback will catalyse the whole system; it will contribute to bringing tremendous improvements. Writing articles after the polio campaign, sorry to say, is of marginal use.
@ all reader
just want to share this with you. In some parts of India ( mostly north) religious leaders used to tell illiterate followers that the vaccine was aimed to ensure that those who took it would never be able to bear children. but when the some of those unfortunate kids were affected by the polio disease, their parents realized the folly, and today, it is these very parents who are at the forefront of the anti-polio drive. I am sure things will change in Pakistan too.regards
Just because they learned from their mistakes and stopped being complacent. On the other hand we still have to own our problems.
just a correction - in the year ended jan 2012 , no polio cases has been detected in India. This is indeed an achievement of sorts.
28th december, 2011 polio wild type 3 case found in Khyber agency which was understandable. security situation in the area, vaccination staff was too afraid to go door to door. Then on 29th January 2012, same type of virus found in Nosheroferoze Sindh. I guess taleban just got stealth or we could rethink?
Instead of getting into rogue and conspiracy theories, lets stick only to “unswerving political commitment, outstanding public health leadership, clear lines of accountability, intolerance of weak performance and systematic enforcement of best practices” as shown by Indians. Does anyone really think that we have any of the aforementioned things in our ranks at the moment?
One more reason not to negotiate with Taliban but to extinguish them. We dont know what they will come up with in the future, that too without evidence and put the general populace (or whoever survive their onslaught) at huge risk of death, disease and what not. It was surprising that the Islamic medical association is against vaccination or does it have the fear of losing dollars and rupees if diseases are contained/eliminated ??
why do we have to compare with India?? There is no comparison at all... they are miles and miles ahead in all aspects. Comparison articles are such a joke that only puts us in permanent shame. We should compare ourselves with Afghanistan or Nigeria, who population, demography, social bias, and in some days economy will be at par with us. I have even saw youtube videos that India vaccinates every child entering the country from Pakistan border by land and have received very high respect and goodwill from tourists and parents.
"Everyone knows that polio vaccines were extracted from cows to create antibodies."
The author should edit this line as this is not a factual statement, and may be he is not aware of the facts.
Modern oral polio vaccine are grown in tissue culture, live but attenuated viral vaccine is produced and it is one of the few miracles of modern science.
India fought against the polio vaccine ignorance by educating the public, mullahs, and by active and aggressive campaign.
There is no reason why PAK cannot eradicate the polio. A timely article and as a civic responsibility all TV channels should dedicate 30 seconds spot to educate the public as a public service message.
ET tv can initiate the process.
@Cautious: I agree with you 100%. The religious leaders and rightwing parties would not dare go against the Taliban. The reason only ANP and PPP leaders are killed is they are not in bed with Taliban rather a threat to them. When was the last time Sharif, IK or likes were attacked by Taliban or fanatics? This is yet another example of Pakistan sliding back into middle ages. Regards, Mirza
Pakistan sank when the Taliban announced that they were opposed to polio vaccine as an article of faith. . So where are your religious leaders on this matter - or do uneducated thugs who carry AK's now dictate the "faith". Time for the real leaders of Islam to step up and take control of matters of the faith.