Mind games

The anti-polio drive in our country has turned into a dangerous war of minds, as well of practicalities. Whereas, on the one hand, we have incidents such as the abduction of 11 teachers in Khyber Agency for allowing polio vaccination teams into their school, on the other, we have a startlingly high number of ‘refusals’ by parents to allow children to be given the vaccine. According to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa health department, there were 8,495 refusals recorded during the recent anti-polio drive in Mardan district, one of the more developed districts in the province. Across the province, there were 28,731 refusals, with over 3,500 from Peshawar district.

The figures raise questions about why parents would wish to put their own children at risk. While health officials say the number of refusals has fallen, the fact is there are still far too many. The existing situation, in fact, means Mardan has turned into a potential breeding ground for the highly infectious virus. While propaganda against the vaccine is a factor, those involved in the campaign also point out that frequently repeated campaigns may have created a sense of harassment among people. We need to understand all these factors better if we are to combat them. Sixty-three confirmed cases of polio have already been recorded in the country, a figure higher than the one for 2012. The vast majority, 43, come from the tribal areas.

The militant ban against the delivery of vaccines obviously plays a role in these parts. But elsewhere, too, it has become vital to create awareness and educate people about polio prevention. Prayer leaders, teachers, doctors and others with influence in society all need to be roped into this effort. The media too must play a part; school curriculums need to be used as well. But it is important to mobilise all the weapons we can to win the war of minds and persuade people that it is essential they permit vaccination. Without this, we will never be able to chase polio away from our country and save children from its effects.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2013.

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