The National Immunisation Days (NIDs) campaign of 2022 set out with the objective of vaccinating over 40 million children against the polio virus and while significant progress has been made, the drive now seems to be lagging, particularly in Punjab. Countless children have missed their vaccine dose, leading to a higher risk of the spread of the disease—as evidenced by the restrictions re-imposed upon Pakistan for exporting the virus to Malawi. With the elimination process of polio in the last stages, it would be irresponsible for the authorities to let their guard down.
The NIDs was launched in 36 districts of Punjab through the help of 150,000 polio workers who were tasked with the responsibility of carrying out door-to-door vaccinations in each remote area of the province. Unfortunately, at least 140,440 children were reported to have missed out on their vaccine dose and have been classified as ‘still missed children’ who cannot be traced either. The reason for this is that more often than not, the children simply move out of the province with their families. This seasonal movement makes it all the more impossible for each child to be tracked, especially considering that most do not have proper identification forms and leave no proof of their existence behind.
Earlier, the country was being commended by the international community for being on the verge of eliminating polio altogether but now, the tide has changed. The World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed serious concerns over the issue of the still missed children in Pakistan and the international spread of the virus as Malawi reported its first WPV1 case—a strain commonly found in Sindh. Travel restrictions have been imposed for the next three months as a result.
The current state of events seriously questions the efficacy of the anti-polio drive and the ability of the authorities to see the entire campaign through. If this continues, we will have seriously digressed, which would be a shame considering that our government has effectively tackled the pandemic, which was a bigger menace than polio. A proactive approach is needed once again, as this is the only way through which we can rescue ourselves.
The NIDs was launched in 36 districts of Punjab through the help of 150,000 polio workers who were tasked with the responsibility of carrying out door-to-door vaccinations in each remote area of the province. Unfortunately, at least 140,440 children were reported to have missed out on their vaccine dose and have been classified as ‘still missed children’ who cannot be traced either. The reason for this is that more often than not, the children simply move out of the province with their families. This seasonal movement makes it all the more impossible for each child to be tracked, especially considering that most do not have proper identification forms and leave no proof of their existence behind.
Earlier, the country was being commended by the international community for being on the verge of eliminating polio altogether but now, the tide has changed. The World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed serious concerns over the issue of the still missed children in Pakistan and the international spread of the virus as Malawi reported its first WPV1 case—a strain commonly found in Sindh. Travel restrictions have been imposed for the next three months as a result.
The current state of events seriously questions the efficacy of the anti-polio drive and the ability of the authorities to see the entire campaign through. If this continues, we will have seriously digressed, which would be a shame considering that our government has effectively tackled the pandemic, which was a bigger menace than polio. A proactive approach is needed once again, as this is the only way through which we can rescue ourselves.
