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Washington [US]3rd July (ANI): Pakistan’s failure to eradicate polio reflects a serious lack of commitment and commitment by government and society to save children from the threat of this devastating disease.
Despite significant foreign funding and multiple campaigns against polio over the years, the state has made some serious missteps in its efforts to address this harmful health problem, Global Start View reported.
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Furthermore, despite numerous supplemental immunization campaigns, the failure of the polio eradication campaign in Pakistan is now overshadowing the global prospects for a polio-free world.
The root of the problem lies in fiscal and organizational deficits, as well as active conflict and insecurity, leading to the continued failure of an effective immunization campaign in the country.
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Pakistan and Afghanistan face major security challenges along the border, including targeted attacks on polio workers and security guards, and an absolute ban on polio immunization in some areas. Difficulties in the region are often cited as significant barriers to polio eradication, Global Start View reported.
Over the past few years, many polio workers and security personnel have lost their lives in polio vaccination campaigns, and such incidents have become one of the main reasons why polio is still endemic in Pakistan.
As many as 70 polio workers have been killed in terrorist attacks since 2012, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to media reports.
2012 marked the beginning of a series of violent attacks against polio workers in Pakistan that began in July 2012 and continues today.
Victims of these attacks include frontline workers, international consultants, project staff, and even police officers providing security. Polio transmission is very active in certain core areas of Pakistan, including Karachi (Sindh), Peshawar (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) and the Quetta block of Balochistan.
Polio cases have also been detected in northern Sindh and southern Punjab. A large proportion of cases occurred in the Pashto-speaking population.
As attacks on polio workers, doctors and security forces intensify, Pakistan is falling into the brutal grip of the polio virus, reports Global Strat View.
Pakistani officials reported the eighth case of wild poliovirus in 2022 on June 3. The most recent case is a 20-month-old boy who was paralyzed by wild polio.
“After the first two cases in April, the polio project took immediate steps to fence off the area to prevent further spread of the virus, especially in historic reservoirs such as Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. Pakistan is fighting There has been great success with polio. Over the past few years, we are taking all measures to protect the results achieved by the program,” Federal Health Minister Abdul Kadir Patel claimed.
Pakistan is one of two countries where polio is still endemic, along with neighboring Afghanistan, although the number of cases has dropped sharply in recent years. However, the third country on the list, Nigeria, has officially eradicated wild polio in 2020.
The Pakistani Taliban have long been the most prominent resistance force in the country’s polio vaccination campaign. The reasons for their opposition are strange. Some say it was designed to sterilize Muslims. The Taliban have repeatedly threatened health workers involved in the campaign. Some said they received calls telling them to stop working with “infidels” before the attack.
Additionally, in response to misconceptions that vaccines are not Shariah-compliant, the Islamic Advisory Group (IAG) adopted a new anti-polio action plan in 2015, which includes advocacy and communication campaigns, reports Global Strat View.
Interestingly, in many cases, family members are reluctant to get vaccinated. Most parents refuse to give their children polio drops due to misconceptions about the vaccine. They think it will hurt or sterilize their child.
This discernment is prevalent in some parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tribal region. According to Global Strat View, the main reasons parents refuse to vaccinate their children are lack of awareness, doubts about the quality of vaccines, misunderstandings about vaccinations and low confidence in vaccinators. (ANI)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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