Crippling disease: Pakistan, Afghanistan to put up joint fight

Both countries to work together to vaccinate children in border areas

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have joined hands to strive for a polio-free South Asia. Both countries will collaborate to develop a joint action plan to strengthen immunisation services and surveillance in border areas.

Both countries have reached an understanding to allow their teams to work together to administer polio drops to children living on the border areas. These children will be administered drops depending on their accessibility and operational activities.

It was discussed in a Pak-Afghan cross border coordination meeting to halt transmission of polio virus in both countries recently declared one epidemiological block.

The meeting was held after a year. Earlier the meeting was scheduled to take place in mid-April this year in Kabul, Afghanistan, but was postponed because of security concerns. It is important to mention here that most of the Afghanistan is polio-free except its eastern region. It is believed that it has been affected due to the continuous import of the virus from Pakistan.

So far this year Afghanistan has reported two cases of wild polio. Previously there were 28 such cases 10 of which were linked with cross-border transmission from Pakistan. Afghanistan has exported three cases of polio to Pakistan.

During the meeting Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication and Dr Hedayatullah Satankzai, Senior Adviser on Health to Afghan Government expressed serious concern. In South Asian region their countries remain afflicted with polio while the rest have been certified disease-free.

“We must collectively strive for a polio-free South Asia and a polio-free world. The global community is looking towards us to deliver as we are the final frontier in realisation of the goal of a polio-free world,” said Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq while addressing the participants of the meeting.

Meanwhile talking to The Express Tribune, head of the National Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for Polio Dr Rana Safdar said the meeting decided that focal persons will be appointed at regional level. They will be responsible for implementation of the strategies.

Pakistan and Afghanistan will jointly formulate a communication strategy for reaching all the children who are living in the inaccessible pockets, he said.

Strict monitoring and evaluation will be done at all checkpoints at Pak-Afghan border regarding administration of polio drops, he said.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Hedayatullah Satankzai appreciated Pakistan’s initiative to forge strong cross-border collaboration in this critical area.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2015.