Polio — the long haul

Eleminating polio is going to require a consistency of political will that spans successive govts and constant funding

At last there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon in the long and bitter fight to rid Pakistan of polio. The National Polio Eradication Programme says that it is going to need $300 million over the next three years to “sustain and maintain” ongoing programmes. There has been a marked downturn in the number of new cases reported so far this year as compared to last, which is a health milestone that needs to be celebrated duly. So far there have been 24 cases as against 85 for the same reporting period in 2014 and as much as we welcome this news it must be remembered that Pakistan has been within a hair’s breadth of eliminating polio, only to stumble and fall at the final fence. The last jump in the polio race is always the hardest. On June 11, a case was reported from South Waziristan Agency, as if to underline the gravity of the task, and to demonstrate that complacency is certainly not in order.



The government has been presenting the latest results to representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) currently visiting Islamabad. It is clear from the financial and human-resource commitments being sought that the war is not going to be won quickly. If it is to be won at all, then Pakistan has to keep up the pressure and effort, knowing as it does so that lives are going to be lost as polio workers and those who are tasked to protect them are murdered as they go about their business. There can be no let-up in the struggle for herd immunity, and not only from polio but other non-communicable diseases as well. The health ministry is in the process of finalising a National Action Plan for health in the broadest sense and it is to be hoped that this latest initiative of vital importance does not run into the sand as have other, no less vital, initiatives in the recent past. Pakistan can eliminate polio, of that there can be no doubt. To do so is going to require a consistency of political will that spans successive governments, likewise, a consistency of funding. We hope for even better news in a year’s time.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th,  2015.

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