POLIO: City’s first polio case of 2015

Education dept holds salaries of 36 teachers .

PESHAWAR: The provincial capital’s first polio case of 2015 was reported on Friday, taking the country’s total to seven, while salaries of over 30 teachers in Swabi were held for not participating in a vaccination drive.

According to the health department, seven-month-old Rabia, a resident of Mera Kachorhy area in Badhaber, was confirmed to have been infected by the crippling poliovirus.

This year’s polio tally stands at seven with four cases reported from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, two from Fata and one from Sindh.

Taking action

The district education department has halted salaries of 36 primary schoolteachers in Pabaini and Jhanda union councils of Swabi for not participating in the polio vaccination drive, and has issued show-cause notices to them.

According to All Teachers Association Swabi President Abdul Latif Khan, the district administration had deputed the teachers to a recent polio drive, but they did not take part over security concerns.

Khan said the union councils were sensitive and polio teams have been attacked there in the past, resulting in the deaths of two workers.

The president insisted the teachers under scrutiny did not refuse to vaccinate children; they simply did not show up for the drive because of insufficient security arrangements.

He maintained administering the vaccine was not just the education department’s responsibility but the health department’s as well. “We have no objection to performing duties under foolproof security arrangements,” said Khan.

Meanwhile, Swabi DC Matiullah Khan told journalists a delegation of teachers had met him and their reservations over security and halting salaries will be addressed soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2015.