Islamabad (AP) — Pakistan initiated its final nationwide vaccination campaign for the year on Monday with the goal of safeguarding 45 million children from polio. This push comes in response to a recent surge in new cases that has posed challenges to efforts aimed at eradicating the disease, as confirmed by officials.
The World Health Organization has indicated that Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, are the only two countries where the potentially deadly and paralyzing poliovirus is still endemic. Since the beginning of the year, Pakistan has reported a total of 63 confirmed cases.
Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s adviser for the polio eradication program, has emphasized the significance of the ongoing anti-polio campaign, which is set to run until December 22. In a heartfelt plea, she urged the public to welcome health workers into their homes, stressing the importance of their vital work in protecting children from this preventable disease.
Despite facing challenges such as violence targeting medical personnel overseeing vaccinations and security forces providing protection, Pakistan remains steadfast in its commitment to conducting regular immunization campaigns. Extremists have spread false claims that vaccination efforts are part of a Western conspiracy to harm children, further complicating the nation’s fight against polio.
To mitigate risks to health workers, authorities have mobilized thousands of police officers to safeguard vaccination teams. Nonetheless, tragic incidents like the recent attack in the city of Karak, where gunmen targeted police escorting polio workers, resulting in the death of a police officer and the injury of a health worker, highlight the dangers faced in carrying out such crucial immunization efforts.
In another unsettling incident on the same day, a police officer assigned to protect polio workers in Bannu was shot and wounded by an unidentified assailant on a motorcycle. These attacks underscore the ongoing threats faced by those involved in polio vaccination campaigns, with over 200 workers and security personnel having lost their lives since the 1990s, according to health officials and authorities.
The latest round of the anti-polio drive commenced following a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and medical staff, during which he reaffirmed Pakistan’s determination to overcome the challenges posed by polio. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has reported at least 23 confirmed cases in 2024, further underscoring the urgent need for coordinated efforts to combat the spread of the virus in the region.
In a setback for polio eradication efforts, the Afghan Taliban abruptly halted a door-to-door vaccination campaign in Afghanistan in September. This interruption poses a significant risk to progress made in reducing the spread of the virus, given its highly infectious nature and the potential for unvaccinated groups of children to fuel new outbreaks and reverse years of hard-won gains.
As the battle against polio continues in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, health officials, security forces, and international partners are united in their determination to achieve a polio-free future for the next generation.
