(MENAFN- Khaama Press) On August 10, Pakistan reported its 14th case of poliovirus this year, originating from the Balochistan province, as the country continues to struggle with an expanding outbreak.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of health (NIH) confirmed that a 20-month-old girl from the Qila Saifullah district in Balochistan developed paralysis in both legs on July 22 and passed away a few days later.[1] To date, 11 cases have been reported from Balochistan, two from Sindh, and one from Punjab province in Pakistan.
The growing number of polio cases has sparked panic across the country, with authorities struggling to find a solution. The increasing likelihood of new infections also threatens other countries, undermining global efforts toward a polio-free world. Furthermore, polio workers in Pakistan are frequently attacked by Islamist hardliners, jeopardizing the country's polio eradication program. International health organizations and philanthropists are increasingly concerned about the cascading effects of the polio outbreak in Pakistan.
According to Ayesha Raza Farooq, Pakistan's focal person on polio, the recent outbreak is primarily driven by intense circulation in the traditional core reservoirs of Karachi, Quetta, and Peshawar.[2] She noted that the virus has affected 14 children this year, with traces found in over 50 districts across all four provinces and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). While the Pakistani government has been trying to reassure the international community about the outbreak, the situation is far more dire. Accurate figures on new polio cases are either not disclosed or difficult to trace.
In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened the thirty-eighth meeting of the Emergency Committee on the international spread of poliovirus in selected countries, including Pakistan. One of the committee's observations highlighted that“high-risk mobile populations in Pakistan represent a specific risk of international spread of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), particularly to Afghanistan” and potentially to other countries.[3] This year, WPV1 has been detected in 45 of Pakistan's 166 districts, underscoring growing concerns among global health organizations over the competence of Pakistani authorities in eradicating polio.
In Pakistan, children under five are extremely vulnerable to permanent disability, which will have long-term impacts on the country's future generation, economy, and society. Furthermore, the religious prohibition of polio vaccination in certain areas of Pakistan may affect the situation in neighboring Afghanistan and other Islamic countries.[4] According to WHO, Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic, the other being neighbouring Afghanistan. Despite administering more than 300 million doses of the oral vaccine annually and spending billions of dollars, polio is still rife across Pakistan. Since 2015, Pakistan has reported 357 polio cases, including 14 so far this year.
In 2023, at least six new polio cases were detected in Pakistan, almost all in the northwest region, where parents often refuse to inoculate their children. In 2021, Pakistan reported only one polio case, raising hopes that it was close to eradicating the disease.[5] However, additional cases began to emerge despite anti-polio efforts. Certain reports indicated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, other fatal diseases were largely ignored in Pakistan between 2020 and 2022.
Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan are regularly marred by violence. Islamic militants often target polio teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them, claiming that the vaccination campaigns are a“Western conspiracy” to sterilize children.
In January this year, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) reportedly attacked a police unit assigned to protect workers in an anti-polio immunization campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing at least six officers and wounding 10 others.[6] Similar attacks have occurred in different parts of Pakistan in recent years. Additionally, misinformation linked to religious beliefs has also been spread, claiming that the vaccine contains traces of pork and alcohol, which are forbidden in Islam.[7] Disinformation, agenda-driven campaigns, myths, community boycotts and mistrust in the government have also been factors behind vaccine refusals.[8]
Furthermore, several reports allege massive corruption in the ongoing anti-polio campaign have surfaced in Pakistan.[9] Still, Pakistan continues to receive substantial international support and funding from foreign governments, health organizations, and private donors like Bill Gates for the polio eradication campaign.[10] [11]
Despite numerous immunization campaigns, Pakistan's failure to eliminate polio is now jeopardizing global efforts for a 'polio-free' world.[12] Almost 100 polio workers have been killed in Pakistan since 2012, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.[13] Health authorities in Pakistan have listed seven districts where polio is“endemic”. All seven are in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. For decades, the Pashtun majority province has received 'step-brotherly' treatment from Islamabad.
Balochistan has similar grievances against the Pakistani state authorities. Notably, the deteriorating security situation in both provinces is a direct consequence of the failed policies of Pakistan's military leadership. As a result, the government of Pakistan's anti-polio immunization program has faced serious setbacks in the country.
Another reason for the spread of polio in Pakistan is the deficiencies in the local drainage infrastructure, especially in areas where polio drops are administered, making children susceptible to the virus.[14] Broken sewer lines contribute to the contamination of drinking water sources, reportedly facilitating the transmission of polio.
For the federal and provincial governments in Pakistan, regular cleanliness of streets, dilapidated drainage systems, and local water bodies is perhaps the last priority.
Consequently, in addition to polio, other diseases like dysentery, diarrhoea, and typhoid cause multiple fatalities every year in Pakistan.[15] The governments in Pakistan failed to take the required measures to improve the health situation in the country. As a result, the country is witnessing a fresh polio outbreak, with new cases coming from all four provinces.
Pakistan's polio eradication program is now facing an existential threat with limited chances of revival. Global health organizations are reportedly preparing for the worst in Pakistan amidst growing risks of poliovirus transmission, which may transcend international boundaries.
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[13] #:~:text=During%20the%20last%20decade%2C%20security,KPK)%20province%2C%20since%202012.
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