Oct 27 – More than 1 million children in Pakistan missed polio vaccinations last month, fueling a resurgence of the virus, officials report, as new cases climb sharply and efforts to eradicate the disease face growing challenges.
October’s count of new polio cases—more than a dozen—brings this year’s total to 39, a jump from just six cases last year, according to government figures. The resurgence underscores the fragility of Pakistan’s decades-long fight against polio, a disease that can cause paralysis and, in severe cases, claim lives.
Ayesha Raza, Pakistan’s point person on polio eradication, attributes this setback to declining vaccine uptake, with a staggering number of children left unprotected in September alone. The immunity gap, widened further by Covid-19 disruptions, has left a generation of young Pakistanis vulnerable.
The stakes are high. Polio, a virus that spreads silently through contaminated food and water, has been curtailed globally by over 99% since the 1980s thanks to vaccination. Yet in Pakistan and Afghanistan, polio remains stubbornly entrenched, according to the World Health Organization. And in a recent warning, WHO highlighted the threat of resurgence in other areas like Gaza, underscoring the disease’s relentless nature when left unchecked.
In Pakistan, resistance to vaccination campaigns remains rooted in skepticism, suspicion, and tragic history. Some still recall reports from 2011, alleging a vaccination drive in Abbottabad was linked to the hunt for Osama bin Laden. For years, such stories have stoked public doubt, compounded by religious concerns and misinformation, especially in rural areas.
In Balochistan, a region bordering Afghanistan and one of the hardest-hit areas, officials report that many parents hesitate to vaccinate their children. Misinformation runs high, while fear and distrust continue to sow resistance. Raza explained that many of the infected children were only partially vaccinated, missing the complete immunity offered by all four doses.
Efforts to curb the virus come amid violent attacks on vaccination teams. This year, militants have escalated their assaults, viewing the vaccination drives as part of a Western agenda. At least 27 attacks against polio workers were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with two fatal attacks in September alone.
Aftab Kakar from the Emergency Operation Center in Balochistan described how protests, local resistance, and ongoing unrest have hindered vaccination efforts. “In some areas, children have even been marked as vaccinated when they haven’t,” he added, underscoring the obstacles teams face on the ground.
Despite these formidable challenges, Pakistani officials are preparing to launch a nationwide polio campaign on October 28, hoping to vaccinate 45 million children under five.
Source: capitalfm
