Crippling disease : Karachi’s first polio case of year confirmed
The latest polio case was reported from the area classified as ‘high-risk’ for polio vaccinators DESIGN: AMNA IQBAL
Health officials on Thursday confirmed Karachi’s first poliovirus case of 2015, almost a year after the last case was reported from the port city.
It was no surprise that the parents of the victim, an 18-month-old girl, had refused polio vaccination to the child. The family belongs to Waziristan and lives in Shafiq Colony, Gulberg Town, adjacent to Sohrab Goth, a predominantly Pakhtun and Afghan locality.
The latest polio case was reported from the area classified as ‘high-risk’ for polio vaccinators which implies that health workers administering polio drops in the locality can be attacked, even killed for defying a ban imposed by Taliban on anti-polio drives.
At least 23 polio cases were reported from the city last year despite repeated anti-polio drives, health officials said, explaining that the refusal-cases undo all efforts of wiping out the disease.
Polio-vaccinators expressed concerns over security lapse. The number of police escorting the vaccination teams was half than what was committed by the government.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2015.