Govt seeks clerics help to make province polio free
The provincial government and donor organisations will seek help from religious groups to increase polio awareness and actively participate in eradication committees at the district level.
According to Unicef, currently eight per cent of people in the province learn about the virus through sermons in mosques.
District and tehsil level ulema from across the province participated in a polio awareness orientation organised by the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) at the Auqaf Hall.
Others who collaborated include the Ministry of Auqaf, Hajj and Religious Affairs, the World Health Organization and Unicef. Polio is prevalent in Pakhtun-dominated areas due to lack of awareness about cleanliness, Dr Abdul Jamil, a nutrition specialist at Unicef, told participants. He said that clerics can play a vital role in removing misconceptions surrounding the disease.
“If we want to eradicate the disease, we have to reach all children in a one-time campaign across the country. The Afghan government should also carry out a similar drive at the same time,” Dr Jamil said.
Unicef’s Dr Bilal Ahmad presented a plan, whereby clerics disseminate awareness messages during Friday prayers and also distribute flyers in mosques.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Khateb Maulana Rohullah Madani said that it was sad that only eight percent of the people get polio awareness through sermons. Ulema must consider this their prime responsibility, he added.
Madani suggested that fatwas (religious decrees) should be issued and published in national and local newspapers as well as religious magazines on the matter to reach a substantial number of people.
Provincial Minister for Hajj and Religious Affairs Haji Nimroz Khan administered polio drops to children and kicked off a three-day polio campaign from November 29 to December 1. All districts except for Malakand, Chitral and Kohistan will be administered polio vaccines.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2012.
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