Within the welter of data one figure stands out — there was not a single parental refusal in the whole of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). Given the difficulties of terrain and the remoteness of many mountain communities as well as thin health service coverage generally, this is worthy of note. As is usual Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa topped the list of parental refusals with 27,742, and there is clearly a mountain to climb in turning around the mindset that underlies the high refusal rate.
The province is a significant obstacle to those tasked with eradication, and the global community that is following the battle closely rightly expresses concern via United Nations agencies about Pakistan’s proliferation of the virus. The Ministry of National Health admits that there is a lack of accurate data on the number of children living in 497 high-risk union councils, adding to the difficulty of formulating strategies to reach them and not only for polio vaccination but other childhood diseases as well. But the battle continues and has to be won — for the sake of all our children.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2015.
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