Concerns in Afghanistan are growing over new polio cases in border areas and in the displaced Pakistani population in Khost province.
The World Health Organization said in January 12 out of 13 cases reported during 2013 from Afghanistan are genetically linked to Peshawar. In fact, Afghan officials say the genetic analysis of wild polioviruses reported in 2012, 2013 and 2014 shows they closely match the virus circulating in the western border areas of Pakistan, indicating a significant population movement between the two countries, making them one epidemiological block in terms of poliovirus circulation.
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The virus might be similar, but the security threats to virus eliminating polio workers remain significantly different. While the Afghan government manages to vaccinate 80% of the target population, it does so with the support of the local Taliban.
Afghanistan’s Tali(ban)
Unlike their Pakistani counterparts, the Afghan Taliban say they do not oppose polio vaccination, however, they are concerned over the possible use of the campaign for espionage.
“We do not ban vaccination. Polio teams are in contact with us across the country and they continue vaccination in complete coordination,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told The Express Tribune.
“There are certain people in Afghanistan who talk about the Sharia aspect of polio drops and some even consider it un-Islamic but we do not have any such problem,” said Mujahid. He said the Taliban previously had doubts about polio workers and had conveyed their concerns to organisations involved in the vaccination. In July, the group in Helmand made the province off-limits over concerns that vaccinators were gathering intelligence about Taliban members.
“They promised us such people will not be part of the campaign,” added the Taliban spokesman. “We are closely monitoring the issue but we do not favour any ban on the vaccination,” Mujahid went on to say.
Crossing over
In a statement posted online, Afghan Minister of Public Health Dr Suraya Dalil said, “There is a strong need for sound and close collaboration between various governmental departments of Afghanistan and between Afghanistan and Pakistan as such.” At least 13 fixed cross-border oral polio vaccine points have been established along the Pak-Afghan border.
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Cross-border meetings have been conducted on quarterly basis between Eastern, South-Eastern and Southern regions’ Expanded Programme Immunisation/Polio Eradication Initiative teams and Pakistan EPI teams.
For more stories on polio attacks, click here
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2014.
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